And Then There was One
by TheMinty1
Summary: The Titans are gone, poof, they just vanished, but not before taking down out most of the human population, and now only a few women remain, one being deemed the 'most desirable' due to her brains and brawn, but it's not a title she cares the slightest about but Levi can't figure out how that woman is Hanji and why it's his job to protect her. How did this happen? AU-ish
1. Milk and Honey

**In the process of re-uploading the old chapters to make them a little easier to read ~ **

**I own none of these characters :p**  
**-**

"Levi!" Her voice rang through the fortress, happily, loudly and obnoxiously, just like her and all Levi could do was roll his eyes and press his fingers to his temple as the hurricane that was Hanji ran his way, all the while praying she forgot where his room was.

"There you are, Levi! Didn't you hear me calling?" Oh, and he had no such luck.

"I heard you." He replied dryly, turning from where he sat at his desk drinking tea, silently wishing he hadn't heard her, he was so enjoying the silence of the last few minutes.

"Ah, well I have a new theory as to why the titans disappeared do you want to hear it?!"

"No."

"Awww, come on all of the other guys left since the titans disappeared, they went to go explore the outside world, but I can't leave this stupid fortress after the last battle and all." She pouted and Levi let out an irritated sigh.

That's right, the very last battle, the female titan had returned broken the gates, let in the other titans, and in what seemed like a last ditched effort to wipe out humans, they went after the human females, before the titans all simply vanished. No, no trace, they were just all gone and no one had seen them since. Though it took awhile, people eventually started venturing out eager to see what the world had to offer without fearing the titans. Not a lot of women remained, so those who had chosen to stay in the city rather than travel were given positions of power, as an incentive to stay and help repopulate humanity. Most if the women from the army perished honorably in combat, while many of the men either became city guards or chose to see the freedom they fought for, and then there was Levi. Levi had decided to stay behind, the throne had been recently overthrown, the general and much of the people above him in the army had left to explore leaving a flimsy government behind and giving him a far higher ranking job than before, allowing him more access to make proper changes for a better stronger government, nevertheless, there were still people higher ranking than himself, and unfortunately for him, he was given orders by them to protect the most desirable female left that humanity had; Shitty Glasses.

Levi looked Shitty Glasses up and down trying to figure out what the world had come to that she was the most desirable woman left. The titans were gone, yet she still stayed in the fortress to research, she still refused to leave, her hair was still oily and unkept, she still forgot to bathe regularly, she was still the same strange creature she'd always been, and her glasses were shitty! But he couldn't turn down orders and risk his rank, not when he had so much to do, but… It was tempting.

"So, you gonna let me tell you my theory?" She asked again, eyes lit up behind her goggles. He looked at her silently from where he sat and raised himself from his desk, walked right over to her, looked her dead in the eyes and said…

"No." Dammit! He wished he was taller, looking down at her would have had a better impact, oh well, all the same. He walked past her and headed for the hallway to attempt to retreat to the bathroom where he hoped she had the decency to leave him in peace, but he wouldn't get his hopes up.

"Awww, why so sour?" She called after him, buzzing around like a fly. He wished he only had a fly swatter big enough, but no think of, the mess it would leave behind…

"Because my job is to look after you, not converse." He replied with a deadpanned glare.

"So? That means we can't talk, we always spoke back in the titan days." She snorted a laugh, playfully punching him in the arm.

"Because we had business to discuss."

"Don't we have business to discuss now? I mean; Titans! Hello!?" Her eyes lit up with excitement.

"No we do not." He stopped walking so that he could make sure she he had her full attention when he said this next bit, "Now, part of my job is to look after your safety. The titans are gone, and don't seem to be coming goal to see the end of titans is now complete, I have a new goal now, and achieving that goal means I have to do things I don't like, just like in the army days, but now that job is looking after you. The only business we have now is if someone sneaks in your room and tries to snatch you, or tries to lob your head off, then you may feel free to come discuss that with me, but until then, we have no business." his voice was steady and low as he hoped they at least sunk a little into her thick skull but the look in her eyes said she'd ignored the bits she didn't like.

"Oh come on Levi, no one is really after me, I mean, me desirable? Hah!" She laughed hard, too hard, to her own ears it sounded a bit forced, but she was pretty sure Levi wouldn't notice. Being the most desirable woman humanity had left wasn't really what she wanted, she still wasn't sure what to think about it even after it was announced 2 years ago. After all, her research was all she had now, if the titans returned all she wanted was to be ready, but because of her mental and physical prowess, she was left being the most desirable female humanity had left, but it wasn't because anyone who called her that actually knew her, they just wanted her like a trophy! As if she would play along with that!

"Look, you and I both know that this 'desirable woman' thing is stupid, but the higher ups think you need extra protection, so let's just make this as painless as possible." he started walking into the men's bathroom now.

"But, Levi-"

"Ah!" He snapped pointing at the men's only sign.

"You think I won't follow you in there?" she threatened.

"I think you won't." he said nonchalantly over his shoulder as he entered the room leaving her behind.

"Dammit! He called my bluff." Sure she knew she was a little 'off', but walking into the men's room and seeing a smoke room full of sausages wasn't something she was eager to see.

"Ahh, but everyone we knew back in the old days left here to start new lives… All these punks in the fortress don't know the stuff we knew about the Titans, talking to them would be boring." She muttered to herself as she trudged down the hall towards her room.

Hanji really hated the new guards, they were weird, but most of all, they weren't the people she knew, they weren't her friends… But with how Levi put it, maybe in the end, none of them from the old days were her friends in the first place, which was fine, but now she couldn't talk titans with anyone!

"Hey is that Hanji?" she heard the guards further off talking as she slowed down to hear better.

"She's the most desirable woman? She's a woman?" he laughed.

"Hey, hey," another guard whispered, "Maybe she doesn't look like that, but under all that old 3-D maneuver gear and stuff, I bet she's a babe." She could feel their eyes on her and it made her skin crawl, with a shudder she quickly retreated to her room.

"Bean, where are you when I have such fascinating theories?" she sighed to herself as she pulled the door to her room shut behind her. Her eyes scanned her room. Research supplies were everywhere, her bed couldn't even be really seen in the wreckage, but it was the most comfortable place on earth for her, she thought as she sighed. That's when she smelled it; her hair smelled horrible. "Has it already been so long? Hah! I guess I got carried away researching, I guess I have some free time now." she hummed to herself as she walked to her dresser and gathered some clean clothes. The plus of being the only woman in the fortress? Private bathroom, connected to herroom, aww yeah.

In a matter of moments Hanji was filling a tub and settling into the thick suds of the water, relaxing as the warm water worked wonders on her sore muscles, and the oil from her hair washed away.

"Hmmmm." She hummed contentedly, "Maybe when I get out I'll see if I have anymore old notebooks with titan info." she mumbled to herself as she sunk sleepily into the bubbles. With all of the coffee she'd been drinking lately, the last few days of all nighters hadn't really bothered her, but now as she felt herself relax, the need for sleep was viciously clawing her eyelids down, ignoring her desire to keep them open and avoid potentially drowning, but before she knew it her eyes betrayed her.

She was too tired to dream as she slept, or at least she thought so, because after awhile, she was pretty sure she was hearing someone speaking.

"-an, you were right she_ does_ have boobs under all that crap, alright, you win the thirty dollars."

"Man it's been awhile since I saw a woman even if she's not that sexy, I wonder if we could-"

Hanji's eyes snap open as she realizes she's sitting in a tub of freezing water, a conversation is happening over her and that at this very moment, the same little shit of a guard who said she had no boobs in the hallway was staring at her like a deer in headlights, his hand frozen inches away from her chest.

They all froze like that, no one even blinked as she looked up at him, he stared down at her and his friend looked just as shocked as he did, for a good minute before reality sunk in for Hanji, and she didn't like it.

"Why is Shitty Glasses so late for dinner? If she starves, that's my ass." Levi mumbled as he marched towards Hanji's room with a purpose. Since he chased her away earlier, he thought he had been lucky not to see her again, lucky, yet unnerved. It wasn't like her to give up on annoying him so quickly, he figured she maybe learned a lesson about bothering him, but now that she was an hour late for dinner, he'd sent some men to get her but they hand't returned, now he had to wonder if something was wrong. His hand was raised, ready to knock at her door when he heard it; a shrill high pitched scream.

Without any hesitation Levi kicked the door down and ran into her room, but no one was there, the scream pierced the air again and he realized it was coming from the bathroom.

"Hanji!" He yelled urgently as he burst into the room, "What in the hell…?" The scene was not at all what he'd expected.

A naked and clearly furious Hanji stood in the bathtub, one of the guards he'd sent was unconscious and with a bloody nose sprawled out on the floor, the other one blocking his face as Hanji grabbed him by the collar and held her fist in the air as he screamed the highest pitched scream Levi had ever heard in his life.

"You little scum!" Hanji yelled angry and flustered as he fist flew into the guards face and he fell whimpering to the ground, "How dare you say I'm not sexy, bodies aren't the only attractive thing! I have a sexy mind okay!?" she screamed.

Levi quirked an eyebrow as he put the situation together. It was pretty clear the men he sent got caught up in stupidity and tried to get a feel while she was bathing, but she was most angry about not being sexy? "Stupid." Levi chuckled under his breath, but that was enough to get Hanji's attention.

"Ah! Levi!" She calls squinting as if she can't tell without her glasses, "You came to hear my theory I assume?!" She sang, in no shame or concern of her nudity, after all he'd seen her naked before that one time- Oh! But wait, they both agreed to never even think about that again.

"Put some clothes on, Sh-" he starts to call her shitty glasses, but it seems odd since she's not wearing them so the words are dropped.

"Oh yeah! Right clothes." She snorts, fumbling blindly as she stepped out of the tub, before letting out a loud sneeze followed by two more sneezes that sent her flying back into the tub, "I'm okay!" She gurgles up from the water before Levi can even fully process the train wreck he is watching unfold before him.

With a sigh, he kicks the two uncurious guards across the floor out of the room in the most literal way, he then goes into her room and grabs her glasses and some towels before returning to the bathroom where Hanji is still climbing out of the water.

"Did you hit your head just now?" He asks walking closer as he unfolds the towels.

"Nah I'm fine," She laughs sitting on the edge of the tub and taking the towel he held out to her, "A little cold though."

"Hmm." Levi grunts in reply as he places the second towel over her dripping hair, his hand brushes her skin and he's shocked by how cold it is , "How long were you in there?"

"I don't know I fell asleep." She shrugged as she wrapped the towel around herself lightly, still shivering.

"Don't sleep in the tub, stupid." he snorts looking over at her shivering as he dries her hair with the towel thinking how annoying it would be if she got sick. It was strange, her own lack of concern for her nudity made him forget that she was indeed nude. He could smell the shampoo from her hair and her freshly washed skin as he pat her hair dry, it smelled like honey and milk, her hair wasn't all oily it looked soft as it framed her face, though he wasn't trying to look, he could clearly see down her towel from where he stood and he felt it in his gut, it all somehow made him aware suddenly, that Zoe Hanji was indeed a female, and was indeed nude, and that staying in the room was inappropriate.

"I only came to tell you dinner is ready, finish up here and hurry up." Levi reported lifting his hands from the towel and taking a step back. He saw her nod, and only now he saw her eyes were sad, her usual energy gone as she gazed at the bloody spot on the floor where the young guard's nose had bled. It made Levi uncomfortable, she seemed different now, she smelled better for one, and the usual excited energetic look on her face was no where to be seen, now she looked sad, like something was bothering her, and Levi wanted nothing more than to avoid her trying to become more personal with her than they had to be especially in this moment; this was only work after all. He took the sad nod she gave him as a sufficient agreement and turned to leave the room, but then she spoke and he stopped in his tracks.

"Is this it for me now? Is my life going to be getting stared at because of some stupid label I didn't even want? Am I gonna have to deal with guys like those guys from earlier all of the time? Ugh, humanity's most desirable woman… my ass, they just like the title, I'm not even attractive." She mumbled.

Levi sighed in annoyance,he had to say something right? "Look, this label will only mean as much as you let it. Just live your life however you want. People might stare at you now, but who cares? As long as they don't try anything, and even if they do try anything, they'll have to deal with me." He assured her, "After all, that is my job." He added, leaving it as he said it before seemed a little to personal for him and he sure as hell wasn't going to comment on the attractive bit. He personally didn't particularly find her attractive, he hadn't really thought much of her than being a weird former working acquaintance to him, but at that moment just now, he had to admit, even Shitty Glasses could have some physical appeal, if you looked really hard, from a certain angle and tilted your head a bit that is. That's all he would give her.

She seemed to be considering his words as they both were silent for a moment before she spoke, "You're right." She said with a smile as she gets up and walks over to him, "I'll just keep living my life."

"Good." He replies simply as her eyes light up again.

"Speaking of living my life, you want to hear my theo-." she shifted, the smell of milk and honey met his nose again and for the slightest fraction of a second, he wanted to drink that scent in from her skin, but the thought was gone in a second as he cringed at it.

"No." and with that he was gone.

"Who falls asleep in the tub…" He mumbles as he marched irritatedly into the hallway from her room, dragging the two unconscious punk guards from earlier down the hall as the other guards stare at the scene. He can feel their curious eyes and figures he can take advantage of the situation, "Hey, what are you looking at? Just keep your thoughts on your job, you mess up and try and sneak over to see that woman you were hired to protect and you'll end up like these two, curtesy of me." He grumbled as the guards scurried away with fear in their eyes. Good, they would pass along the message not to mess with Hanji and make his job easier. Levi had every intention of beating the crap outta these two muck ups of guards just to get the smell of milk and honey out of his nose and the lingering memory of his hand brushing Hanji's cold, smooth skin out of his head.

-  
Two hours later Levi sat in his own room, tired. He'd spent the last 2 hours making sure the two guards from earlier, as well as the other guards knew better than to ever try a stunt like that again, cleaned up his demonstration, and then came to take a bath in his own room to wash off the scent of fear that he swore lingered on him from his meeting with the guards and now he sat at his desk with a tea tray in front of him and the cool night breeze greeting him through the window.

It was utterly silent except for the sounds of nature, the cry of people dying on the streets or in fear of titans was no more, and he was thankful for that everyday that passed since the disappearance of the titans. He looked down at the tea tray in front of him and began to pour honey into the cup of tea in front of him, his hand reached out for the milk, but then paused as his mind played back to Hanji. His hands stayed frozen near the small container of milk for awhile as the look on her face, the smell of her skin and damp hair that clung to her face played back in his mind. The next thing he knew he was pouring the cup of tea out of the window with an irritated sigh, before walking to his bed and settling in, trying to forget all of the idiotic things that happened to day when-

"Levi!" the familiar voice came from down the hall and Levi cringed, praying it was some sick prank his mind played on him. "Oi! Levi I'm calling you!" The voice was closer now, he could hear the door crack open and light poured in from the hallway as his prayer for it all to be a dream burned away.

"Hey you kicked my door down earlier!" she protested, "Some of the specimens I collected escape into my room." Levi slowly sat up in his bed to see her standing there in baggy shorts and an old shirt looking irritated, "Take responsibility and find the specimens in my room!" She demanded.

"…. My job is to protect you, I kicked the door down trying to do that, collecting specimens is not in the job description."

"Well some of them are poisonous, that's a danger! Oh and those stupid guards keep peeking in my room since the door is gone, so isn't it part of your job to keep them away?"

"I…" he started, but she could tell by his eyebrow twitch and that irritated that she's right, and she's really not up for waking up and having to beat up another guard.

And that's how Hanji found herself snuggled up in the ever orderly bed of Levi. She had to admit, she really liked his bed, the sheets were soft, and they smelled nice, they were warm from where he had been laying earlier, they smelled like him. She couldn't help but hold the sheets up to her nose as she felt sleepiness wash over her "Sleep tight, Levi, and thanks." She murmured before falling asleep.

Meanwhile, Levi was down the hall and up the flight of stairs that led to Hanji's room trying to figure out, what it was that kept shifting around her room, where the bed was and how the hell she could put up with this mess and the smell. "You better be enjoying that room Shitty glasses, tomorrow I'll build you a door if it means I can avoid this insanity. Levi sat on the floor outside of her door, unable to bear the thought of sleeping in her room as he drifted off to sleep, throughly comforted by the realization that his earlier mild and mistaken attraction to her truly had been nothing but a momentary weakness, thank god.

**Aaand, that's chapter one, this was pretty fun to write, hope you liked it if you read it, reviews are super helpful and lovely, I'll try to update it ASAP while I'm in the zone o_o**


	2. Trouble Smiles in the Moonlight

**Whee, chapter 2 I wrote this at the same time I wrote chapter one so figured I should just put it up.**  
**I own nothing as usual. No socks, no shoes and no characters :(**

"Hanji… Wake up." Hanji flailed in her sleep as someone had the gull to wake her, "Hanji, wake up or I'll throw you on the ground, I promise."

"Ughhhh,?" She groaned rolling over to meet two irritated grey eyes as her own eyes opened, "What do you want Levi?" she mumbled.

"You, out of my bed." He replied grumpily. She took a good look at him, his clothes were wrinkled, his eyes were bloodshot, his mood was sour, wait, that last one was nothing really new. "You look angry." She observed as she put on her glasses, "Didn't you sleep well?" She asked, finally sitting up in the bed to look at him better.

"No Hanji, I did not sleep well in that jungle that you call your room, I couldn't even find the bed. I ended up sleeping on the floor in the hallway outside of the door."

"Whaaat? My room isn't that bad!" She insisted, "I mean sure it's a bit messy but-" he scoffed and she flashed him a dirty look.

"Hanji, I order you to clean your room today." His tone was no nonsense, but she was sure this had to be a joke.

"Are you kidding me? You can't make me clean my room!"

"Do I look like I am joking?" He asked unamused, and while he didn't look like even the slightest joke was in his mind, she laughed anyway.

"You're not making me clean my room, I don't care what you say. It's your job to keep me safe right? Well you just worry about that and I'll just worry about my research." She scoffed a bit offended that he even attempted to tell her what to do. Besides, as far as she was concerned, her room was in order. Specimens by the window, petri dishes under the bed, important notes on and next to the bed, clothes in three distinct piles of; clean, gross, and holy crap that smells went on the floor, and everything else fell where it fell until she picked it up. What was wrong with that?

"Hanji, keeping you safe is my job and you are a danger to yourself when it comes to that room. Fix it." He ordered, as he pushed her from his room, "And I don't want to see, or hear a word from you unless you're _dying_ until your dammed room is clean, and if it's not clean when I wake up,_ I'll_ clean it as I see fit." He added slamming the door in her stunned face as he turned to face his bed with love in his tired eyes "I've missed you." he sighed before falling into the sheets, exhausted, trying to forget that Hanji had just been laying in them. When you're as tired as he was, a lot of things are easy to forget, like the fact that Hanji hated being told what to do with her lab and her research more than anything, it was like a direct offense to her.

"Did he just-" Hanji stood in disbelief as the door slammed in her barely away and suddenly furious face, "He just slammed the door in my face!" He wouldn't listen to her theory on the disappearance of the titans, but he had the time to tell her to clean her room? Who the hell did he think he was? Her lab, her room, her space and no one could tell her what to do in her space, NO ONE!

In a state of fury, Hanji flew down the hallway, ignoring the guards eyes on her and ran up to her room taking a good look around. "He thinks my room is such a mess? He thinks he can tell me to clean it up? My research is my life! If I don't clean it up, he might try and trash everything! I can't have that." She murmured to herself as she looked around her room, "Before anything else, I must protect the research!" She declared with a fire in her eyes and determination in her heart.

-

Levi awoke feeling much calmer and far less irritable than before as the soft orange light that indicated the end of daytime came in through his window. "I can't believe I slept through the whole day." He mumbled to himself flinging his feet over the side of the bed. He had some paperwork to finish up that day and somethings to take care of in the fortress that he now figured might end up being put off to tomorrow thanks to Shitty Glasses and her stupid messy room. Scratching the back of his neck and yawning, Levi briefly wondered what miracle had allowed him to sleep without her running in here and talking about titans again. Then he remembered that right before he went to bed he said something to her… What was it? He remembered seeing a shocked look on her face right before he slammed the door, but what he said was a blank….

"Ah well, must not have been horribly important." He told himself as he stood up, but even though he said that, rather than taking a shower the way he wanted to, he found himself trudging, still a touch sleepily to Hanji's room, after all, he still had to fix her door so that she could have her stupid mess of a room ba-

"Hanji?" All thoughts in his mind ceased as he reached her door and found the room clear of all mess. So clear that it was completely empty with only her bed and a desk left behind, and that's when he remembered that he'd threatened to clean her room. "Why did I do that?" He groaned as he walked into the hallway to find the men in charge of guarding her.

"Where is Hanji?" He asked, but was only rewarded with confused glances, so rolling his eyes, he reworded the question, "The 'desirable woman'?"

"Ohhh! She left the fortress earlier, some of the guys went with her for protection, I think she was headed for the city."

"And you just _let_ her go not even sure who she left with or where she was going? Do you even know what your job is?" Levi demanded kicking the man hard in the shin so that he fell to the ground. "Get up, and find her. If I see you before I see her, I promise you, you will regret it." Levi hissed befre turning to jog down the hall, his mind racing. Where would she go with all of that stuff? How could no one have stopped her, even if she was with the other guards he knew that they were just about as useful as brining along a flock of fruit flies for protection. Still in his pajamas, he flew into the stables and got on his horse preparing to head into the city, not waiting for the other guards. It was his job specifically to look after her, and now she was missing, he didn't have time to wait for those idiots, so instead he flew out of the stables, his mind racing as fast as the horse.

-

"Whooooooa! The city has really changed since the titans left!" Hanji marveled as she looked around. Buildings had been rebuilt, in a more stylish way, people dressed more lavishly, community gardens were scattered throughout the city, cafes popped up, if she had known the city inside the walls had been getting so nice, she would have left the fortress and moved her research here a long time ago rather than keeping herself in the old castle with stuffy old Levi. She scowled as she thought of Levi, the potential destroyer of research and decided she wouldn't think about him.

"Umm, Miss Hanji, mam, don't you think we should head back to the fortress? A lot of people are staring at you." One of the guards that followed her suggested meekly. It was true, a lot of men were single after the unfortunate titan attack, and most of them knew of Hanji's unwanted title at this point, so the lusty stares that were sent her way weren't shocking, but it didn't make her like them. Part of her got a bit nervous, but then despite herself, she remembered what Levi had told her the day before _'this label will only mean as much as you let it. Just live your life however you want. People might stare at you now, but who cares?'_ and she decided to take his advice, sure Levi might have been the murderer of research, but he gave pretty good advice.

"No, the fortress is boring, I don't ever want to go back to the fortress!" She sang taking off into the city full speed as the guards awkwardly chased after her yelling for her to come back.

**-**

**A few hours Later**  
**-**

"Okay, I'm ready to go back to the fortress." Hanji mumbled under her breath as she fought to take in air. Three large men stood around her with greedy eyes, while two were already on the ground… unfortunately, the two on the ground were supposed to be protecting her, ah well that was her luck. They'd run a few blocks to try to escape them, but the men were as fast as they were scary.

"Look, this is my research, I can't just hand it over!" Hanji yelled over to the intimidating looking men, her bag full of notes and samples clutched to her chest. The men roared with laughter as they looked down at her.

"We don't want research," the largest of the men chuckled snatching her bag away from her and tossing it into a nearby puddle, the sound of glass breaking as it landed rang in the air, "We want you. Nobody around here remembers the last time they had a chance to be with a woman, and nobody with a title like yours Miss Hanji." He sneered, but the second Hanji's bag had been thrown away from her, she stopped listening.

"My notes!" Hanji cried, jumping towards the puddle her bag landed in. The samples she had might be broken, but her notes might have survived as long as the bag didn't sit in the puddle too long, as long as she could get to them, but the men quickly caught her and pulled her back. "Let me go!" She yelled fighting them off, but with 3 guys as big as that, she was finding it had to do so.

"Stop fighting!" one of them yelled, hitting her hard on the back of the head, causing the strap that held her glasses in place to snap, her glasses fell to the ground and Hanji realized, her notes would have to wait, her full attention had to be put forward in fighting off these guys.

"I'll never stop fighting!" She yelled as loud as she could, a bit fazed from her hit to the head, "I never stopped fighting before and I won't start now!" She swung her leg around and kicked one of the men hard in the face, sending him stumbling back and landing on the ground.

"You bitch!" The other two yelled closing in on her from behind. Hanji might not have been the strongest of the soldiers back in the day, but she was always good at planning her attack, she saw an opening and she was about to take it, when two large hands landed on her shoulders. She spun around in shock to see the man she'd just kicked standing over her, she thought he'd be down at least long enough for her to take care of the other two, get her stuff and run, but she was clearly, horribly wrong. A string of curses flew from her mouth as the other two guys moved in to hold down her arms and the man in front of her slapped her hard across the face, she flailed violently, but she couldn't get free.

"Don't worry, we'll be gentle… Maybe." The guy she'd kicked said with a sick sneer, as he ripped her shirt open sending the buttons on her shirt flying, but she didn't stop fighting, she kicked and fought, she screamed, no one came to her aid, but the guys couldn't get close enough to try and touch her either.

"Shit, she's not getting tired we should just knock her out." One of the guys holding her down suggested, Hanji as about to protest, but then a familiar voice echoed in that alley from behind them.

"Or maybe I should knock _you_ out."

"Levi?!" Hanji called trying to spin around and see if it was really him.

"Oi! What trouble did you get yourself in now?" he asked as counted the number of soon to be hospital patients. The situation was pretty clear on a first glance and he didn't like it "No matter, I'll clean this up." He grit his teeth, irritated to still be in only a coat and pajamas, irritated that these pigs might have thought of themselves as men, and irritated because Hanji ran away in the first place, but mostly irritated because it was his fault she'd left.

Levi walked towards them and they let her go, knowing that if they needed all of their strength for her, they would need all of their strength is they were going to defeat the legendary Levi. The second Hanji's arms were released, she ran to her bag, yanking it out of the puddle, knowing Levi would be fine, but her heart sank as she looked opened her bag. Everything was ruined.

The fight was quick, if you could even call it that. The men were tired from trying to hold down Hanji, so Levi took advantage of that and made quick work of them, kicking them further off towards the entrance of the alley before turning to see why Hanji was huddled off in the corner all of this time. He walked slowly towards her, when he heard a crack under his foot, looking down he saw her a piece of her glasses under his shoe. He picked them up wondering just how hard she fought that her glasses strap that not once fell off while dealing with titans, came off now.

"Hanji, we're going back now, get up." He ordered, as he walked closer to her, but her back was still turned to him, she made no indication that she'd even heard him, "Hanji, did hear m-"

"My research…" a small voice that he could barely believe was hers said, "It's all gone… All of it."

"Your life is in danger and this is the crap you're worried about?" Levi snaps grabbing her arm and turning her around, but his annoyance is lost the second he does that. Her cheek is red from yelling and bruised from being slapped, her shirt is torn open and though her expression is merely sad, in his grip on her arm, he could feel her shaking. Was she afraid? The woman who played with titans was afraid? He wasn't shocked so much, but humbled seeing someone that he never thought could run around without a smile on her face babbling about titans all day afraid. It scared him a bit. If she could be afraid, then what would scare him?

"My research is all gone." She murmured again, turning away from Levi. Her research was her life, the titans were gone, her research was gone, if the titans returned she had no way to help, her purpose was gone. The cold air that blew over her skin through her open shirt, she chose to ignore, she chose to ignore the her heart beating fast from the shock of it all, she chose to ignore the way her face stung, or the fact that she was shaken and not from the cold, she chose to focus all of her shock on her research, her life's work now bled it's ink into a random city puddle and she watched it bleed with no way to save it. There were no words that could comfort her, but then a warmth came down over her.

"Put this on. It's been too many times this week I've seen you undressed." Levi murmured as his coat came down over her shoulders. Though those words were cold, she knew that those words coming from his mouth might have been the warmest thing she'd heard all day.

"Thanks." She replied, her voice still barely above a whisper as she looked down at her lost work still in shock, she made no move to get up and he made no move to make her do so, he of all people knew how important that research was to her and how shocking it was to have lost it. He would allow her to mourn, just not here.

"We have to go, Hanji. We'll get those useless guards over there to wake up and take those three pigs away to the city guards. I'll take you back to the fortress." He said, gently taking the soaking bag from her still shaking hands, before helping her to her feet and slinging it over his shoulder. The bag was gross, Hanji was all dirty, but he couldn't have cared less in that moment. The dirt was the last thing on his mind as he watched her walk pick her shattered glasses up off of the ground and sigh before letting them tumble to the ground.

"I remembered what you said the other day." she called turning around to face him, "That I should ignore the stares and just live my life, it's not as simple as it sounds." She chuckled, but the laugh was dry, empty.

Levi racked his mind trying to figure out what she was talking about, "Ah, you mean what I said when you knocked out those guards the other day?"

"Yeah. I'm trying to just live my life, but how can I if this is what happens? How can I when my research is gone?" she asked, genuinely confused, people saw her differently now, her purpose from before was gone, her friends were gone, what was left?

"You idiot." Levi snorted walking over to the mouth of the alley to get his horse before turning back to face her, "Did you forget the second what else I said? I told you 'If they do try anything, they'll have to deal with me.' have I given you reason not to believe in that yet?" He asked as a look of brief shock flashed over her face.

"No… I guess not. "She said, realization washing over her.

"Exactly, so just keep living your life and let me deal with everything else. That's my job." He said. For a moment, she was still a little shell shocked, still hesitant to trust in that, but he was right, he'd given her no reason not to believe in him. Even though the last few years she's spent all of her time pent up researching in her room giving him no reason to fuss over her, these last few days he's proven that he's dedicated to his job of looking after her. Perhaps she could trust in him enough to start living her life differently. Sure her research on titans was important to her, but they were gone now, not a trace of them remained, if they appeared again, sure she'd fight, but her research meant nothing in this new world, she'd have to try and find something new to live for and do it fearlessly. Her stayed steady on Levi who was standing at the mouth of the alleyway, an impatient look in his eyes as he waited for her, the moonlight shinning down on him and she thought to herself '_I can trust those words coming from that mouth.'_

"Are you coming or what?" Levi asked, perplexed by why she was just standing there staring at him with that dumb look on her face. He was more shocked when a smile appeared on her face, and not her usual crazy, over excited smile, a soft gentle, thoughtful smile.

"Yeah, I'm coming." She said softly, walking towards him, that same smile still on her face as she approached him. Ah, there it was again, the same weird knotted feeling in his stomach that he'd felt the other day when he'd seen her by the tub, was he getting sick? Had he been eating something funny? There was no way it was because of her right? They'd known each other for years and he'd never thought of her that way, not even_ that_ time, ah, wait they agreed not to forget that ever happened, but still… What the hell was going on with him?

He had to escape before he began to believe that she in fact was the cause of the sudden odd feeling in his stomach so he tore his eyes away from her and got on the horse before helping her up to get on behind him. The two guards from earlier woke up in time to ask what was happening. "Those three men that attacked you, take them in and make sure they receive proper punishment, I'll take Hanji back to the fortress, you return when you're done." He barked, before leaving the two men still semi dazed as he and Hanji took off.

He wasn't sure why he thought that leaving the alley would make the knots in his stomach go away. If anything the knots were worse now, now that her arms were linked around his waist, the faintest hint of milk and honey still clung to her skin from the day before and even with all of the fresh air around him it still seemed to find his nose, he could feel her breath on his back she so was so close. He tried to focus on the damn path, or the sky or_ anything_ but her, but her presence was demanding his attention now and he hated it.

"Levi?" She called softly from behind him moving her face closer so that from the side of his eye he could see her profile, and he swore he nearly pushed her from the horse, in mere shock that she managed to get even closer to him but he managed to keep it together.

"Hm?" He grunted as despite himself, despite knowing that he should keep his frickin eyes on the path in front of them, he turned his head a bit and looked at her like an idiot.

"I want to move to the city." She announced with a finality that he couldn't even question and that same gentle smile from earlier illuminated by the moonlight on her face and in that moment he was sure he had a heart attack. It must have been the shock of her being so close, or the shock of seeing her eyes lit up in the moonlight without her shitty glasses, or that _dammed_ smile, but his heart did this weird spasm in his chest and it felt so out of place, so uncomfortable that he would have said anything to make her shocking face move away from him, so he said something stupid, he said; Okay.

Had he known then that the gentle smile she showed him was the prelude to mischief and more trouble than he thought possible, he would have said no_ i_m_mediately_ he would have kicked her off the horse and told her to walk to the castle, damn risking his job, hell he would've given her the horse and walked back if it meant he could have avoided everything that followed and kept living his simple working life. Alas he was utterly clueless as to what would happen in the time to come and as they rode back to the fortress in the moonlight forrest outside of the city, a gut feeling told him he agreed to something troublesome. It was only later he found out just how troublesome.

**Ahhhh, I'm excited about writing this~ Please review if you have the time, it would make me a happy one. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Cheers to the Silver Dimple

**Chapter 3**  
**Cheers to the Silver Dimple**  
Still own no SNK characters

"This is the building." Hanji whispered in an excited marvel as she looked up at the large, tan vine covered building, "_This_ is the building!" She yelled now jumping up and down. She could hear Levi let out his usual exasperated sigh next to her as she ran into the building, while the older man next to Levi just laughed lightly. He could sigh all he wanted, she was too excited to hold it in! She zoomed through the empty building, her feet thumping loudly on the wooden floors as she lost herself imagining what it would look like once she moved into it, she ran up the stairs nearly knocking herself over as she dashed out to the balcony that was attached to the main living quarters and looked out at the view. She could see the whole block, the park across the street, the bakery, the clothing stores, the market, "Hellllooooooo newwww neighbors!" Hanji yelled down the street undeterred by the annoyed look on Levi's face down below, but encouraged by some of the kids near the park waving back with smiling faces as their parents ushered them away. "Levi, this place is perfect! It's perfectly perfect!" She gushed excitedly from the balcony, "Pay the man! Pay the man! I want to move in right now!" she called down. They'd spent four days, four whole days since Hanji told Levi that she wanted to move into the city looking at places, and this was the one, she could feel it!  
"So I take it you'll be wanting this building then?" The landlord asked Levi with an amused smile.  
"…Seems like it." Levi sighed for what must have been the thousandth time in the past few days, "I'll sign whatever you need me to sign, but she wants to move in quickly." Levi told the landlord, his eyes darting to Hanji as he watched her start to climb over the railing of the balcony to stand on the outside edge, "Hanji, you'll fall." He warned.  
"Sorry! Too excited?" She grinned climbing back onto the balcony. He gave her what she could only call an exasperated nod as he turned back to the landlord and she zoomed back inside to explore.  
"Your girlfriend is very…. energetic, though I guess any lady would be if she was lucky enough to have her boyfriend buy her a house." The landlord chuckled with a grandfatherly smile as he handed Levi the paperwork.  
"She's not my girlfriend, she's my job." Levi corrected him sternly.  
"Hah, sometimes the people we love are a lot of work." The man chuckled again, clearly not understanding that Levi really meant the she was literally his job.  
"Ah, no we're not dating, I was simply told to look after her." Levi insisted, but the old man kept smiling as if he was sure Levi was lying. Levi felt his eyebrow twitch, he didn't want to be lumped with her, but then again, maybe it was better that way, if the old man thought they were dating, perhaps he didn't know Hanji's title, at least that way he didn't have to worry about the landlord letting people into Hanji's new place for a fee if he thought she was just a normal weird lady rather than a weird lady with a title to her name.  
"Levi!" Hanji called as she zoomed back out to the front of the building to stand with the landlord and Levi, "You have to come look around this place, it's _amazing_! The basement is huuuge and there's a backyard that's huuuge and the bedrooms are-"  
"I see the pattern, Hanji." Levi said cutting his eyes at her, as he handed the landlord the papers, "If there is anything else you need, send the paperwork to my office, I have the address on the bottom of the page." Levi informed the landlord who nodded in return.  
"Thank you so much for this lovely building." Hanji added in only now realizing that she was so excited about the building that she'd hardly even acknowledged the owner.  
"It's no problem." he smiled his kindly smile, the wrinkles from many years of smiles bunching around his eyes, "I'm just glad that I can have life in this building again, it's been a long time." The landlord smiled wistfully at the building. Hanji's face lit up and Levi's merely twitched as they both sensed what was coming next; story time. "I used to run a shop here with my family, we all lived upstairs and ran a knick-knack shop from the bottom of the building. Our business wasn't bad, we lived day to day and got by, but we were really happy, the four of us." the man paused, his smile had the smallest tinge of sorrow now, "I lost them all during that last attack when the titans disappeared."  
Levi and Hanji's eyes both went wide as they realized they were with someone similar to them. Someone who'd lost important people because of the titans.  
"I was here at the shop, while they went to get supplies further off, I was lucky and lived, but how much luck is there if I'm alone now?" he chuckled sadly, "So I figured I would give this building only to someone who I thought could fill this building with the kind of happiness I had with my family." he concluded.  
"B-but we're not together." Hanji pipped up. Sure she loved the building, but if he wanted this to be a place for someone with the happiness his family had in the building, she was not the person who deserved it. Hanji had no desire to have some creep that might only be after her for her title as 'desirable woman', and besides before all of this happened, Hanji was contented to the idea of living her life alone, titans or not, she knew pretty well that she wasn't like a lot of other girls, it had been made quite clear to her by the teasing she'd received for her personality throughout her life.  
"Perhaps you're not," the man said with a wise laugh, "but I'd still like you to have the building. You're a sincere young lady and full of life, a dreamer, a lot like my wife was." the man smiled and Hanji smiled back, "And you," the man said turning to Levi who quirked an eyebrow at being pulled into the conversation, "You're very different from her, more responsible and serious, but that's okay, every balloon needs someone to hold onto them and keep them from floating away. You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago." the man smiled  
Levi stared at the man not really sure how to take that. Was he calling him a downer? And with a smile on top of that.  
"Thank you for your kin-" Hanji started as she snatched the check for the land that Levi was holding from his hands and began to hand it to the landlord, but he handed it right back.  
"The money means nothing to me. My wife and I saved a lot of money for the four of us to be taken care of later in life, now that it's just me, I have more money than I know what to do with."  
"We can't just take the building from you." Hanji insisted, but the man wouldn't take the money.  
"I just want this place to be full of life again, that's all I want. Money means nothing to me." he smiled again, and Hanji felt her heart warm a bit by his sincerity.  
"Well, if you change your mind, contact my office, my information is still on the bottom of the page."  
"Yes, and once the business is opened down below, you are free to visit whenever." Hanji added, and Levi nodded for the sake of nodding until her words sunk in.  
"Business?" he asked as she kept smiling, "I thought you just wanted to live here, what do you mean business?"  
"I'll leave you two to discuss your plans, I have to go to the market and get home to feed my dogs, so please feel free to contact me if you have any troubles." The landlord smiled walking away, "Ah, and I'll be back to see your business when it opens Miss Hanji." the man added.  
"Yeah! By the way what was the name of your old business?" Hanji called as Levi gawked at her still in shock that they were going on about this business that he was never going to allow to happen. He knew he'd be the one that had to go through all of the paper work, organize everything, he would end up cleaning it because there's _no way_ that Zoe Hanji, the queen of mess would.  
"The Silver Dimple!" The man called back.  
What kind of weird ass name was the 'Silver Dimple'? Levi wondered.  
"Well, whatever the store is I'll name it that!" Hanji called with a smile.  
"…That would mean the world to me." The man called back, his voice full of nostalgia as he glanced at the building again and after a pause he flashed them another smile and walked off to take care of his own affairs.  
"You're not opening a business." Levi informed Hanji once the landlord turned the corner.  
"Yes I am." She insisted walking towards the building, ignoring the burn of Levi's glare on her back.  
"Hanji, if you open a business, that means you have to work with people, that puts you at a bigger danger than before and makes my job harder. Plus, you're too flakey to get everything set up, and I have other work to do, I don't have time to start this stupid business. You're not my only job, I have paperwork to fill out, meetings to attend, men to order around, and a whole list of other things that have been halted because I've been running around with you." He explained as he walked into the building with her.  
"Who said I need your help?" She snorted looking around the building again, "I said I was going to live my life and I meant it, whether I succeed or fail is up to me now, that's my life. If you're worried about my safety, you can send some of the guards here to stand watch, but for the most part I can take care of myself." She smiled, trying to think what she would make her new place, paying no mind to Levi.  
Levi could only look at her dubiously. When she said it like that, it didn't sound too bad, but the guards were useless, sure he knew she could defend herself, but not against a gang of people, and she was still a scatterbrain, so to him it wasn't all that convincing, but he could see the same look on her face that she had when she found some new breakthrough in her research, she was excited and nothing he could say or do would make her back down now.  
"There are four bedrooms here, correct?" Levi asked considering his options of how to make this work best, "You need protection, and I can't be around doing that all of the time because I have work, however, I won't object to the idea if one of the rooms was turned into an office for me and another a room for two guards of my choice to stay at all times."  
"Whatever gets you to stop nagging!" Hanji sang turning to face him now.  
"Fine." Levi replied, ignoring that nagging bit, "I can't tell you what to do with your life, that's not my job, but so long as your willing to work with me on security protocol, I can't tell you no." he sighed really wishing that he had the authority to tell her no.  
"Good!" Hanji smiled again walking to stand in the middle of the room as she spun around trying to picture what would look best in the space.  
"…What are you doing?" Levi asked hesitantly, unsure if he anted to know the answer.  
"Envisioning, would you like to help?" she hummed.  
"No." Levi grunted, unable to tear his eyes off of the weird display of spinning, ducking and squinting at random spots in the shop that was happening before him as he become more and more thankful that he'd never had to live a day in her mind.  
"I got it!" Hanji shouted jumping up from the squatting position she was in so fast that she almost knocked her head on a nearby cabinet, "I'll make it a weapons shop and sell all of my old weapons!" She announced proudly, but her smile deflated as she saw the look on Levi's face, "What?" she asked innocently.  
"There are so many things wrong with that idea I don't know where to start. You want to sell professional weapons to civilians, that you own so you'd run out of stock quickly if anyone bought them, and you want to name it the Silver Dimple. I've seen places like what you're describing and they're illegal" Levi said hoping that once she heard it out loud she knew for herself how crazy that idea was.  
"Yeah…" she started, but then her shoulders slumped knowing she was defeated by Levi and his 'Logic', but then her eyes flashed with curiosity, "Why were you at places like that?" She asked.  
"Don't worry about it." His reply was curt as she watched him turn his back to her and look at the cabinets that she was not only shocked he could reach, but sure that he had no interest in them, "You just worry about not accidentally opening a black-market shop." He added.  
"Fine." Hanji replied, dropping the topic, after all he'd made it clear he had no interest in getting closer to her than he had to and she didn't care either way, so she figured she should keep her eye on the prize, "But I don't know what else I could do." She hummed turning away from Levi to look out of one of the windows to watch the leaves of the trees blow in the breeze, "What do you think I should do?" she asked.  
Levi didn't reply so she turned to look at him to see him leaning against the counter at the back corner of the room. With all of the excitement from the week of the tub incident, her losing her research and then looking for her new home, Hanji had been going so full speed that she hadn't really taken the time to even look at Levi and now that she did, she thought he was looking a little tired. She never really thought of him as the kind of guy who got tired, but as she watched him lean against the cabinet, eyes slightly red, deep bags under his eyes, slightly paled face, she saw he must have been tired, yet he still did his job of looking after her without complaining… Well openly complaining… well openly complaining often. Guilt flooded her as she realized, he really did have other things to take care of, and by her dragging him around all of the time, he must have been staying up all night to finish his other work, just to help her again the next day… He had to be exhausted. He finally took notice of her staring at him and stood up right, caution entering his eyes.  
"Why are you staring at me…?" He asked hesitantly.  
"I know what kind of place I want to open." She announced with a proud smile.

A week and a half later, Hanji accompanied by some of the guards were running around town trying to find supplies for the grand opening of the Silver Dimple. It was pretty easy to get all of the paperwork down with Levi helping her out since he had the power to move things along quickly, but other than the paperwork that she'd had him deliver once, all of the other preparations for the Silver Dimple were being made by her.  
"Hurry guys, we open this afternoon!" Hanji yelled over her shoulder as they guards rushed into the nearly prepared new business with her, arms stacked with supplies. The tables were in place, the counter was clean, her design was the way she'd envisioned it. She spun around to look at the mirror to make sure she looked as dapper as her store did. She smoothed the front of her tuxedo, adjusted her glasses, tightened her ponytail and took a deep breath as she gave herself a smile. She looked perfect and so did the store.  
That's right, she wanted to make a place where people could come and relax, she had to make it perfect. This would be the best strip club for silver painted men under 5 foot 5 ever! Oh wait… no, she'd scrapped that idea, she wasn't sure that was the landlord would approve of that one anyway.  
"Put everything in order quickly!" Hanji barked as customers started lining up outside for the grand opening. "It's showtime Zoe Hanji." She smiled to herself as she grabbed the large pair of scissors from the counter that she honestly had been itching to use since she found out you got to use big scissors for grand opening events.  
"Welcome to the Silver Dimple Teashop!" Hanji called a radiant smile on her face as she walked out of the door and cut the ribbon in one smooth motion and people began to enter.  
She couldn't help but smile as people entered with smiles of their own at the simple, yet clean decor. She wanted to make the cafe a place that felt like home, that people there could act like a family to those who'd lost their family, a place where it was easy to come and just relax the stress of the day away no matter how bad their day was.  
"I love your idea for a teashop." a voice called from behind her, she spun around to see the landlord.  
"Hey! Landlord! You're here!" She yelled excitedly, glad he could make it. "Ah, sorry I keep calling you landlord, I just never got your name…" she trailed off embarrassed.  
"That's right, there was a lot happening at the time, it's okay, my name is Ben."  
"Well then, please have a seat, Ben and enjoy the fresh tea of the Silver Dimple." Hanji said giving him a full bow, hand flourish and all as she ushered him inside to be seated by one of the guards that she'd force- uh, asked to be staff in exchange for extra working fees.  
Ben went inside with a big smile on his face as Hanji watched his face light up at all of the people in his old store, she could see his eyes water up a bit before he was called over to sit with some people that he seemingly knew. Hanji felt a warm smile come to her own face as she watched him hoping that this was at least giving him some of the life that he wanted in his old building.  
"Hanji." A voice called from behind her.  
"Huh?" Hanji spun around, shocked from being pulled from her sentimental moment. She was met with two grey eyes staring up at her, "Oh hey Levi, I thought you told me earlier you were too busy to come bother with my 'silly little' shop! Your words not mine" She sang nudging him playfully on the side as she added that last part.  
"I was, but I ended up finishing work a bit early and thought I could spare the time." she watched as he took a look around, his silence said more than any words could. She could tell he was impressed, they'd only just opened the doors and the place was packed!  
"Well, I'd love to have you," Hanji started looking around at the smiling faces as people from the community smiled together over tea, while the men she'd hired served the, clearly happy to be a part of this shop as well, "but it looks like we're a little packed, you're going to have to wait at the back of the line." she teased with an exaggerated sigh as she leaned on his shoulder.  
"Goodbye then." He turned so quickly that she almost fell down as he disappeared from under her elbow.  
"Wait! I was kidding!" Hanji called, grabbing Levi's arm and pulling him back, don't go I was kidding!" she didn't even wait for him to agree to come in or not, before he even could she was dragging him into the building while everyone was busy enjoying their tea.  
Levi looked at her a touch shocked and thought to ask what the hell she was doing, but it was the smell that silenced him. He had been busy with his own things for the last week and a half, and though he'd help speed up the process of her paperwork for the business, he'd never actually inquired what the business was, but as the warm smell of rich herbs hit his nose, he was suddenly curious what this shop was exactly, "Where are we going?" He asked as she began dragging him up the stairs.  
"Oh come on," Hanji whined putting on her brightest smile, "It's something I think you'd like~ Don't you trust me?" She sang now, eyes lit up again.  
"Not particularly." he replied dryly, but when Hanji pulled at his arm again, she didn't meet any resistance, much to her pleasure. She dragged him up the stairs and towards one of the four rooms, but once they got outside the door, that's where he planted his feet, a suspicious glint in his eyes.  
"Where are you trying to take me?" He asked wearily.  
"Oh come on Levi, just trust me this one time." She sighed exasperated. He held his suspicious gaze for a moment longer, before she rolled her eyes and decided she'd have better luck just showing him than waiting for him to just trust her, so she swung open the door. Now she knew he'd probably like her surprise, but she wasn't expecting to enjoy the look of shock that crossed his face as the door swung open, she had to savor it a moment before she explained, after all, it wasn't often someone got to see Levi's surprised face.  
"What is this room?" He asked as he entered.  
"Taadaa! It's your new office!" She announced enjoying the way his hands brushed over the mahogany bookshelf that was near the entrance of the door. She'd spent a lot of time picking out stuff for his office as well as the teashop and the things for the employee's shared room, but she'd spent the most time on Levi's office. She felt bad that he was so busy but still had to look after her, so she thought she could at least make it a place he's like. The old symbol of the Scouting Legion hung on a flag in the corner of the office, all of the desks and shelves were a dark rich mahogany, books that she'd seen on the shelves in his office at the fortress or ones she thought might be helpful she'd bought and put it on the shelves, she'd tried to find the most comfortable office chair she could find for the desk, she'd even gone as far as to put a daybed near the window in case he got tired during the day and just wanted to lie down so that he wouldn't have to go all the way back to the fortress, and she'd dedicated a while bottom shelf with cleaning supplies in case any of it got dirty, though she'd spent a lot of time cleaning it herself before hand, she could never be sure if it was up to his standard so she thought she should throw that in for good measure. She wasn't sure if he'd like it at first or even think anything of it, but when she saw the awed look on his face as his hands brushed over the furniture, checked for dust, saw nothing, and continued looking around in awe.  
"My… Office?" He said slowly as he looked around, his eyes landing on the cup that was on his desk.  
"Yeah, I felt bad that you had to look after me all of time and now that your office back at the fortress is so far away, I thought to would be best to make this a place where you could get a lot of work down, but also a place you could relax at the end of the day if you wanted to. I tried to make it somewhere I thought you'd like, but-"  
"I…" Levi started, as he walked in closer to the tray on his desk, "What is this?" he asked turning now to face her.  
"It's a cup of tea. It's Chai. I know you like your tea with milk and honey sometimes so I looked into what kind of tea went well with milk and I came across chai. It was a little expensive, but I thought you might like it." She chuckled as the stunned look on his face didn't waver. He didn't say a word as his yes scanned the room again, looked at Hanji, looked at the tea and then looked at Hanji again, his eyes not moving.  
"You… did all of this… for me?" He asked slowly.  
"Well, yeah I just didn't want it to feel like a hassle when you had to do your job to look after me and make it easier for you to get your other work done. I know you'd rather not have to look after me, but I figure I can at least try and make it as painless as possible." She smiled.  
He could only stare at her unsure of what to say. He wasn't sure the last time someone had done something so thoughtful for him… he wasn't sure if anyone had ever done anything truly thoughtful for him now that he thought about it. Words wouldn't come to him, his mind was a blank as he reached down for the cup of chai tea and put it to his lips. It was warm, it was spicy, it was different, it was a lot like Hanji actually. He wasn't sure if he'd like it that much, but the longer the flavor lingered, the more he appreciated it. He liked it.  
"This is a teashop then?" He asked, his mouth finally finding words as he looked up from the warm drink to her excited smile.  
"Yes, that's right." she smiled again scratching the back of her head, "I wanted a place that people would be able to meet new friends and feel like home. After all of the titans destroyed, finding a place where people could just come together, a place that felt like home wasn't easy. This place felt like a home to me as soon as I saw it." she smiled tapping her hand on the wall, "I wanted to share that feeling, so once I came up with the idea of making a place like a teashop, putting the community aspect together was easy." She explained.  
"How did you manage to come up with a teashop?" He had to ask, a teashop just didn't seem like something she would do, after all, her first idea was a shady weapons shop…  
"I don't know," she shrugged, "I just thought of what made you look relaxed, and thought if tea could relax Levi, the busiest most stressed out person I know, it should be able to relax anyone."  
Levi was left dumbfounded. How did she-? How could she-? Who was so-? How could anyone be so thoughtful? "You think to much of me." he said softly as he looked around all of the care that was put into his room, feeling warmer than the tea could make him.  
"No way! You've saved my ass a lot over the last few weeks and put up with me while I was holed up in my research all of this time. I don't know if I ever really thought about it, or thanked you properly so I thought I'd at least be able to express it a bit with this." she chuckled.  
"I-…" he started, not sure where he was going with this, "It is very orderly, and neat, it will do well as an office. I might be able to relax here better than the office at the fortress. Thank you, Hanji." he said with a smallest hint of a smile.  
That little touch of a smile left Hanji floored. She was almost sure she was seeing things, she had to be! Levi just smiled and at her! She was sure she had to be the one that had just drank the chai tea because she suddenly felt very warm in the room. "You're welcome haha." she laughed awkwardly and way too hard, suddenly nervous, "Ah, is it hot in here or what?" she stammered fanning herself with her hand , "I guess since heat rises and I'm wearing this tux, I thought it would look cool, but it's really warm, doesn't help that I've been boiling water for the tea back in the kitchen all day, hahahaha." she was stammering on now, and she wanted to stop before the small smirk on Levi's face vanished, but she couldn't, she'd just have to make a quick escape. "A-anyway, it is opening day and the landlord is here and all, I should go." she laughed again, turning to leave, but just as she spun went through the door, she spun around and poked her head back in, "Oh and Levi?"  
"Hmm?" the little smile on his face was still there, she was going to make this quick and then go so she could go with that rare image still in her mind.  
"Cheers." She smiled holding up an invisible cup before disappearing from the doorway.  
Levi watched her go, his smile growing just the smallest amount as he looked around the room one more time before holding up his cup full of chai and murmuring, "Cheers."

**Gosh, I've just been writing in my free time so I have a few chapters piled up, I'm gonna stagger the releases though… Ahh this was a long chapter why'd I do this to myself? My hands hurt haha. Hope you liked the chapter, please review if you have the time and stuff, and stuff. See you in the next chapter and stuff :)**


	4. Just one Shot

**Already chapter 4, they grow up so quickly. Anyway enjoy :)**

**I don't own any SNK characters or anything… sadly.**

Just one shot

Levi despite himself found himself spending the rest of the opening day at the Silver Dimple getting used to his new office while business was being done downstairs. His fingertips ran over the titles of the books that she'd placed on the shelf as he was stunned that so many of the books he's had at his office or had been planning to get were already here, and the cleaning supplies that she'd placed in his room were his favorite. She seemed like a scatter brain, but it seemed like when she paid attention, she really paid attention. He sat tiredly on the day bed sipping his tea that she'd left him slowly, savoring not the taste, but the first kind gesture he'd received in a long time. He opened the window as he let the breeze cool off his face as he gazed down at the life of the city streets and the smell of the fresh air mix with the relaxing aroma of tea. Though he'd been against her opening a business at first, he had to admit, it was pretty nice, for the first time since he could remember, he felt at ease, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sounds of Hanji greeting people and laughter dancing in the air.

He wasn't sure how long he'd spent sitting in the window like that until he heard the staff trudging up the stairs groaning about how tired they were before the door to their shared room clicked shut and he noticed that the sun was beginning to dip under the horizon. Levi couldn't help but wonder why he'd heard them come up the stairs but not Hanji, was she still down there?

Before he could think anymore about it, Levi was on his feet with his cup in his hands. He had to take the cup and tray downstairs, it wasn't like he was going specifically to see her or anything, he convinced himself as he headed down the stairs. When he came down the stairs, he was shocked to see that there was one other person still there with her laughing away over a cup of tea.

"Hanji." He called from the stairs.

"Oh, hi Levi." Ben, their landlord called smiling from the customers side of the counter holding a cup of tea while Hanji who stood on the other side of the counter from Ben, turned to look at him with a smile of her own. Levi gave them a brief nod before looking around the cafe, it was empty, and perfectly clean, which shocked him. Hanji never cleaned.

"It's clean?" He exclaimed mildly, not bothering to hide the shock in his voice.

"Well yeah, Ben here helped me clean up at the end of the day and we were just talking over some tea, he even gave me a gift for opening day." Hanji grinned holding up a bag.

"It's nothing, just some of my wife's old clothes. I didn't know who to give them to, but then Miss Hanji popped into mind. Ah, and sorry, I should have thought that you wanted to help her clean up after the big day and all. I guess I got a little over excited by how well the teashop went over. Should have known that her boyfriend wanted to help." Ben went on, hanging his grey head and growing a bit.

"He's not my boyfriend." Hanji chuckled a little awkwardly as Levi's face twitched at Ben's assumption.

"Oh yes, you did say that before didn't you?" Ben chuckled his paternal laugh as Hanji swat his arm in a friendly manner, "Ah!" Ben suddenly exclaimed getting to his feet "The night is still young, especially for you young folks, and today was so successful, I think we should go out and celebrate, all three of us." Ben suggested, "There's a bar down the street that I know, would you mind going with me just to have a shot or something to celebrate." Ben asked looking between their faces.

"I have a high ranking job, can't risk the trouble." Levi stated flat out.

"Yeah and I don't know, it's been a long day." Hanji smiled softly, her eyes flickering over to Levi for a moment. Their eyes met for a moment in understanding that they'd agreed a long time ago not to drink together because of what had happened in the past.

"Oh come on, you two are wasted youth, come on, humor an old man, Miss Hanji here can wear one of the dresses I gave her too." Ben laughed, "Just one shot."

Levi and Hanji both tried to talk their way out of agreeing, but eventually Hanji caved and dragged Levi down with her. She made up some excuse about going to change and take a quick shower before heading out and Ben agreed, while Levi opted to stay downstair with Ben. Somehow Ben's insistence on them all drinking together and Hanji wearing his wife's old clothes rubbed Levi the wrong way, he wasn't quite buying Ben's harmless old man act, after all, Levi had never been much of the romantic, but he did have a semblance of why men usually gave women clothing. Levi had decided to keep an eye on him all night if he had to.

Hanji looked herself in the mirror as she slipped on one of the dresses that was in the bag Ben gave her. It was a bright orange dress that she'd chosen because she liked the color. The dress was soft to the touch, with a deep dip in the neckline, long orange sleeves and stopped a bit above her knees. She spun around in the bathroom mirror watching the dress rise and fall as anxiety washed over her. This sort of thing didn't suit her at all. Her chest felt too bare and bounced awkwardly without her usual chest wrappings to reign them in, she was worried the dress might fly up, that the color didn't suit her. She really didn't want to go downstairs like this and have Levi tell her it didn't suit her, she already knew that, but hearing it from him seemed way worse. She forced herself to take a deep breath and remember it wasn't about herself, or about Levi, this was a request of the kindly old landlord that gave her this chance at a new life for free. Besides it wasn't like the man wanted to try anything funny, he'd asked Levi to come to after all. It would be fine… right?

Levi and Ben hadn't said a word the whole time that they'd waited for Hanji which must have been at least half an hour. Levi kept his eye on the old man while Ben busied himself cleaning up the tea cups that the three of them had used before silently sitting at one of the tables, clearly choosing to ignore Levi's glare.

"I'm ready." Hanji's voice rang from up the stairs as she descended. At first Levi kept his eyes on Ben, but once he saw the smile on Ben's face he wanted to know what the hell he was smiling at. He wasn't expecting to see Hanji in an orange dress that hugged the top of her body like it was made for her and flowed at the bottom like silk, her hair was down, and she had on a normal pair of glasses rather than her goggles. Levi wasn't sure how to react, the notion of Hanji in a dress made him want to laugh, but the sight of it didn't make him want to do anything of the sort, he wasn't sure _what_ to think, he just knew he couldn't tear his eyes away for some reason.

"I wasn't really sure what to wear with a dress like this." She mumbled feeling awkward at the both of them looking at her, and more awkward as she gazed down at the boots she wore on her feet. It's not like she ever expected to wear a dress in her lifetime! She heard Levi snort a laugh as his eyes landed on her feet and she glared at him, her face hot with embarrassment.

"You look perfect." Ben smiled kindly as he smiled again, "Shall we go?" Ben asked pointing at the door.

The next thing Hanji knew, she was sitting at a bar between Levi and Ben, one empty shot glass in front of her, and the eyes of every person in the bar on her. She knew she shouldn't have been shocked by the attention, there weren't a lot of girls left in town and none of them were in that bar but herself. She felt so on edge by the attention that she didn't know what to do. No one here was interested in talking to her, their eyes only fell on her chest and hips, not once even looking at her face and she felt that. No one in that room found her attractive, they just wanted a woman and she happened to be one, the stupid old desirable one. It was a horrible feeling, all of those hungry eyes on her, a feeling that she wanted to go away.

"Alright, we drank your shot, Ben, can we all go-" Levi started, but was cut off by a flash of orange that shot up between himself and Ben.

"One more shot!" Hanji cried standing up and the bar behind her cheered. Levi watched in as much shock as Ben as she took another shot and downed it in one go

.

"Two more!" She yelled, as the bar erupted in a cheer again.

"What the hell are you doing?" Levi demanded as Hanji wiped the liquor from her mouth from the two shots that were just poured for her.

"I just want to relax a bit, I don't want to feel so tense here." Hanji sighed, "Two more bartender!"

"I think Levi is right to be cautious, we agreed on one shot, we can go now." Ben suggested looking around at the rambunctious crowd behind them.

"Even Ben agrees, let's go." Levi said, getting to his feet, but rather than coming along easily, Hanji downs the next two shots one after the other.

"I'm just starting to feel good though." Hanji whined.

Levi rolled his eyes as the men behind him yelled something about being able to make her feel even better. He had a feeling that this was going to be a long night on the job.

"We should get her out of here." Ben suggested placing money for their drinks on the counter, worry on his face as the men in the bar got more worked up.

The men around them were ordering drinks and trying to hand them to Hanji faster than the bartender could pour them. She managed to down a few of those as well as the men got more and more worked up. Trying to touch her, yelling out things that would make the most flirtatious of men blush.

"Ben, you should get out of here, I'll take care of Hanji." Levi sighed.

"Okay," Ben nodded solemnly, "I'm sorry, I didn't think that things would turn out this way." Ben apologized, but Levi shook his head indicating it was fine before he watched Ben leave the bar safely. One less person for Levi to worry about if things got serious in the bar.

"Oi!" Levi yelled standing on a barstool next to Hanji, "This woman and I are leaving together and if you have a problem you can try and fight me for it, if you dare." Levi announced, he knew he'd get in a lot of trouble with his boss if he really did get in a fight here, but what choice did he have? The bar went totally quiet before exploding in laughter.

"What are you gonna do, Short Stack? Chew my ankles to death?!" One of the guys yelled up to him. Levi was about to reply by kicking the man in the face and making an example out of him when Hanji shot up on the bar stool next to him,wobbly and with anger in her eyes.

"Hey, so what if he's short? Good things come in small packages!" She yelled over the crowd of men, who 'ooed' and laughed in response as Levi reached out to steady her.

"Get the hell down, you're drunk." He snapped.

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that, she's trying to defend you and shit!" One of the bar goers yelled up, "Half of us in this bar would kill to have a girl especially one that would stand up for you like that!" Levi snorted an amused laugh. There was no way in hell he was about to get lectured about how to treat a girl buy a room full of guys who three minutes ago were trying to get Hanji hammered.

"No, no, no!" Hanji slurred nearly losing her balance as all of the guys in the bar watched her teeter, seemingly ready to catch her if she fell, though Levi doubted they'd let her go, "He's grumpy, and yells a lot, but this guy here?" Hanji patted Levi on the head, "This guy is a good guy, he helps me alllll of the times and hasn't let me down once." Hanji yelled leaning forward and holding up one finger as she emphasized 'once' Levi pulled her back, but by then, all of the men closest to her had already seen down her dress and looked awfully pleased about it.

"Why are you two in a shitty bar like this anyway?" One of the men asked from the back of the bar as the others chimed in, "Hell, half of us are only here because we don't have shit to go home to anymore. Lot of us lost our wives in that titan attack, lost our kids and homes too… There aren't a lot of single women around here anymore you know, sure you can find a few girls willing to let you spend the night with her if you pay right, but they a'int the kinda girl that'll stand up on a barstool and tell off a group of strangers to defend you."

"Hell yeah! If I had a girl like that, I wouldn't bring her to some old bar in the middle of the night, I'd be home making the neighbors call the city guard for noise pollution!" the man yelled and the bar roared with laughter as Levi looked around the room. Hanji was laughing next to him, not really sure what was funny, but because laughing felt good, and the men in the bar all laughed wholeheartedly.

"Why don't you to get out of here and go on home, sorry if you thought we meant trouble offering your girl drinks and all, we didn't see you, Short stack, thought we had a shot with a woman, it's your fault for getting our hopes up" one of the men called up as the laughter roared on, "There's nothing here but broken hearts trying to drown out the memories of yesterday." The man who was speaking took another shot as he concluded as the laughter dissolved into a somberness. Levi watched in shared wonder as the other men in the bar all raised their glasses to the man's words, he turned to see even Hanji had two of her own empty shot glasses held up with her eyes closed, thoughtfully, but Levi swatted her hands down, quite sure she wasn't appreciating the moment the same way he was. These men in this bar, they were the same as him. Never returning to the person you planned to because while they're gone, while they're gone and there's nothing you could have done to save them, you live on knowing that things won't ever be that way again.

Hanji's eyes flew open as Levi pushed her hands down. She wanted to protest, but even in her drunken stupor she saw the look on his face that she hadn't seen since the era of the titans. She knew he was remembering the people lost during that war, one in particular and she put her hands down in silence as she grabbed one of the shots the men had handed her earlier that she hadn't downed and handed it to him. He looked at the drink for a moment, but not once at her as he took it and knocked it back, the same serious look on his face as always to the naked yes, but as he climbed down from the barstool, only she could see the sadness.

"Let's go." He called quietly, holding his hand out to her to help her down. The bar clapped as they watched the scene, but Hanji didn't feel like celebrating at all as she saw the look on his face.

Levi held tight to Hanji's wrist as they walked on the sidewalks of the city. He knew he was headed towards the teashop and that it was to drop off Hanji, but he barely could acknowledge her presence at that moment She trailed a few steps behind him, but he barely noticed, his mind was too busy thinking. His eyes scanned the rooftops as he wondered how many people's lives ended up there because of his call… and for what? The titans disappeared for reasons that had nothing to do with their efforts, he couldn't even justify letting them go the way they did when he couldn't show them how it got rid of the titans. The weight that always tugged at the back of his mind was suddenly attacking him again, pulling him into a dark place. It's been like that since the war ended.

"Can you loosen the death grip?" Hanji called from behind him, snapping him from his daze, "And slow down a bit? The world is shaking for me." she said with a strained laugh.

Levi stopped as if suddenly remembering Hanji was there. He didn't say a word, he only nodded, stopping to let her catch herself. He stayed a few steps away, his eyes fixed on the path behind them that they's just walked down from the bar. Too much was on his mind, the guilt that he tried to silence for years was back and eating away at him again. Too many families had come yelling at him about the war, blaming him, and he could only apologize. No matter how hard he wished they would come back, wished she would come back, no one came back, they were still gone and it was still his fault.

"The stars are pretty." Hanji murmured behind him.

"What?" Levi asked, letting all of his annoyance be heard in his tone as he watched her leaning forward, still a bit unsteady as she looked up. He kept his back to her, still facing the path they'd just walked down, only turning his head to watch her from the side of his eye.

"The stars are nice." She repeated, "I like to look at them sometimes, when something's on my mind." she dared to look at Levi from the side of her eye, but she was only rewarded with his irritated expression. She could see he wanted to tell her to shut up, but she wasn't done yet. "I used to do it back in the Survey Corps days. When I lost my friends and my family, when I lost the people I'd worked with, when it was my own fault and I couldn't fix it, and I felt like I was going to break under the pressure and guilt. I used to look at the stars and remind myself that's what we were fighting for. The freedom to look up at the sky and not see smoke from war, not see a titan above you, but just see the stars and enjoy them." She sighed wistfully, gazing back up at them, "My research was lost a week and a half ago, the things my friends died to help me get… my research died too because of me and I felt like I let the people that died for all of it down." she sighed, "I hope by opening this tea shop, by living my life the best I can, helping others, not dwelling on all of my mistakes, I can at least a little bit pay back humanity for my mistakes and make the most of their sacrifices by living well in their honor and making the world they left behind a little better. After all, even though we may not have caused the titans to go away, I wonder how many of those men in that bar how many people in this whole city would not be here if we hadn't hurt so much and suffered and gave so much back then. This town might be really empty, don't you think." She said flashing him a small smile. She was still drunk, and still unsure if her words were making sense or coming across the way she wanted them to, but when he turned to look at her now, she knew she'd said something right.

A look flashed on his face and she was shocked, it was a lot of things. It was kind, it was sad, it was warm, it was cold, it was soft, yet hard, it was pulling her in and pushing her away at the same time, but it was mostly intense and getting closer.

"You always say some weird things, Shitty Glasses." He sighs, that same confusing look on his face as he walked closer.

"Pfft, no I don't." She snorted, not daring to move the slightest bit as she kept her eyes fixed on that confusing face he was making as she struggled to put together what kind of emotion that was. Trying to figure out what that emotion on his face was giving her a headache, she had to look away. Though she couldn't figure out what kind of face he was making, she quickly figured out that her depth perception was off the second she moved to turn away from him and take a step towards the direction of the teashop and tripped. "Ah!" she exclaimed, shutting her eyes and flinging her arms out in front of her to catch her fall, but she never felt the impact.

"Be careful." a low voice called from behind her. She was frozen suddenly hyperaware of he situation. He'd kept her from falling, grabbing her hand, spinning her back around and pulling her back, his free hand catching her around the waist to keep them from both stumbling back. The guys in the bar who teased him and called him 'Short Stack' playfully saying they hadn't seen him didn't know that she meant what she said about good things coming in small packages. Levi wasn't exactly a pillar or anything, he was actually about four inches shorter than herself, but he had a presence, the kind of presence that made you forget his height in all situations and even though she had to look down a bit to meet his eyes, he seemed like he was bigger than all of the building on this city block at that moment. He stared at her with a blank expression as she stood still frozen, she wished he'd move away, she wished he'd move because she really couldn't, her heart was thumping hard in her chest, suddenly nervous, but why was she nervous? It was just Levi, he was only doing his job protecting her, and they both knew that, so why was she getting so jumpy? Why was her breath caught in her throat, what was this fresh hell?!

"What's wrong with your face? Are you that drunk?" He asked, still making no move to get away from her.

"I-I must be!" She laughed nervously, her face feeling hot. He was so close, his hand was still resting lightly on her back but it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds at that moment, his hand that held onto her own commanded her attention, and she felt like she was dying, her head was spinning, she was confused, what the hell was happening? With whatever strength she had left, she wiggled her hand away from him and slipped out of his grip before turning away from him. "I-I think we should get back now, I don't feel that great." she mumbled already starting to walk towards the teashop. The cold night air blew hard the second she turned away cooling her hot face and making her shiver, her head really was spinning, she was starting to really feel that she'd over done it now. Sure she didn't feel well, and she just wanted to go to sleep, but she had to make it back by herself, this was too much for her, Levi was to much for her drunk state right now, this night was starting to feel a lot like that one night all those years ago. She had to get away, she went to take a step, but her knees buckled and she took a step wayward.

"Hanji, stop pushing yourself." Levi sighed his hands on her shoulder now, keeping her from falling yet again.

"I'm not!" She insisted shrugging off his hands.

"Why are you-" Levi started, his time exasperated reaching towards her again, but she couldn't take it anymore, it was all suddenly terribly overwhelming.

"You remember that we don't drink together, Levi!" She yelled desperately, "You remember why… This is reminding me too much of why we don't drink together… it's reminding me of _that _time…" she said softly, her voice trailing off. It took all of her strength to lift her eyes from the ground and look at his face. Her eyes lifted in time to see shock fall into his usual blank expression.

"I understand." Levi replied simply, as he took a step back, putting his hands behind his back. He didn't say another word as they walked back and Hanji was grateful for that as she tried to get her head together.

When she stumbled or wobbled, he started to reach for her, but she gave him a look that warned against it, but he stayed a step away from her the entire walk home, she knew he would let her stumble and do nothing because she'd asked him to, but she could also tell, even if she told him not to help her, he wasn't going to let her fall.

They made they're way to the teashop in silence, but the second they got inside, Hanji had plopped down at one of the tables and insisted on having Levi go, saying she would make it to her room herself.

"Hanji, don't be stupid, you could barely walk while we got here and I didn't interfere, but do you really think I'll believe that you can make it up those stairs without falling? If I leave you might just sleep on the tables and that is not acceptable in a facility like this." He boomed suddenly angry. After what she'd said before about it feeling like the night from that one time, Levi agreed despite himself and decided that he'd allow her space, but not if she was being stupid about it.

"I'm fine! Just go back to the fortress, it's late." Hanji insisted, slumping onto the table more. He could tell she wasn't going to backdown and he really did want to go to sleep himself.

"I don't have time for this." Levi grunted, storming over to her, "Come on." he picked her up in a flash and tossed her over his shoulder, fully aware that she might puke from the gesture, but was willing to take the risk if it meant this night was over. She kicked and yelled at him, and had Levi been anyone else, she might have actually managed to knock them both down the stairs, but Levi held tight to her as they made it up the stairs and towards the master bedroom which she's claimed as hers.

"Don't open the door!" She pleaded, but Levi was too tired from the bar, from all that was on his mind, from being reminded of that night for what must have been the 3rd time in the past few weeks and he just wanted to go home and sleep it off, so he ignored her as he swung the door open. He immediately knew why she didn't want him to open the door.

"Where are all of your things." he asked. The room was bare. There was no bed, no dresser or furniture, the room was utterly empty, spare for one blanket in the corner of the room.

"I didn't get a chance to do anything for my room, I was so busy preparing for the shop and everything. Besides I wasn't sure what to put in my room. My research was all I had in my room before, so when I started planning for my room, I had no clue what to do with it and I jet ended up not getting around to it." she said softly. He placed her down on her feet now.

"So where have you been sleeping the past week and a half that you've been here?" He asked, hoping she at least had a logical answer like the daybed in his office, but knowing that with Hanji a logical answer was unlikely.

"I was just sleeping on the floor, in here, it's really good for the back you know." She chuckled giving him a thumbs up, but he stared at her quizzically.

"You idiot, just sleep the day bed in my office." Why was she so stupid? Why was she always putting everyone else first? Was this her way of making others happy to make up for her mistakes? By being stupidly selfless? The room was drafty from the doors leading to the balcony, her sleeping on the floor with some flimsy blanket was a sure way to get sick.

"But I can't intrude." she started wobbling a bit, but she waved his hands away the moment he reached for her, instead leaning against the wall, a sad sort of smile on her face "Don't Levi." She murmured lightly, but he was upset now. He was angry that she was so busy thinking about everyone else, that she didn't even take care of herself, he was angry wondering how far she would go before she realized she was only hurting herself. He saw it on her face earlier, when she'd asked for her space, when she'd said this night was reminding her too much of that one time, that somehow, she was hurting and there was nothing he could do or say to fix that. Her discomfort because of his presence was just like staring at the graves of his fallen men and women, it was most likely his fault, it was eating away at him and no words he said could fix what happened. But at least with Hanji, she wasn't dead, the deed from the past that they both thought at the time was so strange and stupid that they'd both agreed to never talk about it again, but if it was clear they were still thinking about it for whatever reason, and it bothered her enough to not want him near her, he had to say something before it got in the way of him doing his job.

"Go take a shower, you smell like booze." He announced, "Take a shower and go to the damn office, you can sleep there, this is your place after all, but before that I think we should talk about_ that_ night since you seem so bothered by it." Levi announced, he wasn't sure how to take the look of horror that crossed her face.

Hanji was sure she'd heard wrong, he was the one most adamant about not talking about that night, she'd not wanted to talk about it either…but what could she say her stomach was suddenly in more knots as she looked up at him and opened her mouth to answer.

**Ahhh… will Hanji agree to talk about 'that' night? Who knows? I don't, I didn't write the next chapter yet. Please review if you liked it, or didn't, or if you just have a bit of time and don't mind writing a review, but other than that, see you in chapter 5~**


	5. Tension

**Chapter 5**

**Tension**

** Even Levi is starting to see that this night and that one night are starting to play out a lot alike.**

Levi watched Hanji with mild anxiety as he waited for her answer. He was hoping that they never would have had to talk about that stupid night, it was just one stupid night after all, and it ended badly, something they both wanted to forget, but it was something no one but the two of them knew about, and something he'd talk about only if she specifically wanted to.

"I-" Hanji stared, walking over to him, a look in her eyes that he'd never seen before except for that _'one'_ time, "I-" She stammered again coming closer to him, could he take that to mean she wanted to talk about it or what? Why was she coming so close? "I-" she said again, reaching out to grab him by the shoulders, her hands firm, as she looked at him, her eyes desperate as they made contact with his own, "I feel-" she gripped his shoulders tighter and he was feeling more confused than ever, and sure he should be trying to stop whatever the hell that was happening, but his hands stayed glued to his sides. "I feel like-" She started again, moving her face in just a bit closer to his own, and he could see now this was a face he'd seen only once before her lips trembled red and glistening from her constant licking at them, her eyes were half lidded, her face was flushed red in the moonlight that filled the room and something warned him that he needed to get away from the situation, he knew what would happen next, but he was too late, "Levi I-" she stammered, her grip on his shoulders tightening, and then she did it, before Levi even had a chance to escape. She threw up on his shirt, stumbled back her grip still on he fabric of his shirt, hit her back against the wall bringing him along in his shock as he barely managed to avoid sandwiching her between himself and the well, and she fell asleep standing with her head tilted back.

"HANJIIIIII!" Levi roared as he watched her smile in her dreams. This was just like that night, nearly the same series of events. She got drunk, he tried to help her, she puked on him, he was forced to take his shirt off, but then she started trying to take her clothes off saying it was too hot, he helped her back to her room after convincing her to put her clothes on and that was it. He sighed at least this time she kept her clothes on, he knew that must have been why she was distancing herself, she was embarrassed from what he could remember, so they agreed not to talk about it. But as he thought about it, something else tugged at his memory. That was all that happened right? Yeah it had to be, it's all he remembered, what else could have happened? His gaze fell of Hanji's stupid, smiling, vomit covered face and he cringed, he knew this was going to be a long night.

"Urgh." Hanji groaned as the sunlight poured in from the window. She squinted as she looked around the room was this… Levi's fortress room? She sat straight up and regretted it instantly as her hangover hit her like a freight train. Why was she here though, she was supposed to be working today. "The shop!" Hanji yelled panicked as she got to her feet, ignoring her aching head, but then someone appeared from the private bathroom attached to Levi's room, shirtless, with only a pair of black jeans and one towel over his shoulders, his hair and chest both dripping wet.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked unamused as he scowled at her. She felt her heart stop. Had a night like that one night happened again? No way!?

"W-what? Where are your clothes? Why am I here? I thought we were at the teashop!" Hanji sputtered, her eyes trying to land anywhere in the room, but on Levi. She'd seen him shirtless before back in the army days and that_ one_ time, but it was almost always circumstantial, she was usually busy doing something else or focused elsewhere so she never really took a good look, so when the first thought that crossed her mind upon seeing him shirtless was that she could grate cheese on that, it caught her a bit off guard. She was sure she must have still been a bit drunk.

Levi watched silently taking in her panicked reaction as realization grew on her face as she clearly remembered what happened, "Your shirt…" She whispered pointing at him knowing that he must have hated her right now. Oh well, at least it hadn't ended as badly as the last time they drank together, she thought as she grabbed her aching head, she wasn't sure she could have handled that again, at least this time nothing seemed to have happened between them.

"I sent it away to be burned."

"Oh come on you could have cleaned it, isn't burning it a little extreme? Is a little Hanji puke really _that _bad?"

"Yes." He replied simply still drying his hair where he stood, "I'll have to burn the sheets on my bed too I see. You fell asleep there in your dirty clothes when I came here trying to get the key to your old room. I couldn't wake you up."

"Ohhh, sorry." Hanji winced thinking of all of the trouble she caused him.

"No, don't worry, sleeping in that chair by the window was actually comfortable." He said sarcastically, or maybe he was serious, she could never tell with his face.

"Oh!" Hanji yelled suddenly springing to her feet, "I have to get to work! Today is only the second day! I can't be sitting in bed like this!" she yelled excitedly, but her throbbing head immediately forced her to sit back down.

"It's only 6 a.m you have another two hours before the shop opens, I'll take you back before then." she could hear Levi sigh with his usual healthy amount of irritance as he was moving around further in the room. "Drink this." he said as a cup of tea was placed in front of her face.

"Whaaaat?" Hanji asked dumbly, staring for the teacup, to Levi's face, to the teacup, a second on the cheese grater and then finally settling on his face.

"It's a ginger lemon tea." He sighed, "Take it or I'll drop it." He threatened. She scrambled to grab the cup and avoid getting hot tea in her lap.

"I read that it's good for hangovers in a book." Hanji piped up smiling as she sniffed the tea, "You made this for me?" She asked even thought the answer was obvious.

"Just drink the damn tea and shut up so you can shower and go to work. Your clothes are over there, you still had some old clothes from the Survey Corps days in your room so I just brought them over. And don't forget to wash your hair.

Hanji nearly choked on her tea, "You're being nice after I puked on your shirt. Did you poison this tea?" She asked suddenly.

"Yes." He replied dryly.

"Hah!" Hanji laughed nearly spilling her tea over. She knew he was joking, he wouldn't risk getting fired over a little puke, but she was sure anyone else who'd heard him say that would have really thought he was serious. "Good tea though, thanks, I feel better already." She smiled gulping down the rest of her tea before placing the empty teacup down. Levi expected her to get up, but she flopped back on the bed and buried her face in the sheets taking a deep exaggerated breath, "I really like your bed Levi, it's comfy and it smells like you." She yelled as she flopped back. She kind of thought she shouldn't have said that last bit, but she was still a little bit drunk, so she'd worry about being embarrassed later if she remembered. For now she went back to stretching out on his bed like a cat.

She looked over expecting him to tell her to stop and get out of his bed because she was 'dirty', but when she looked over at him, he was staring at her as if he wasn't sure what to say. Hanji wasn't one to feel embarrassed, especially when she was still a little bit drunk, but the way he looked at her all shirtless and dripping wet suddenly made her very aware that Levi was a man, and she was a woman, she was romping around in his bed and it left her dress pooling halfway up her thighs. This was never something Hanji would have thought about two weeks ago. Two weeks ago she'd shamelessly stood naked before him, he'd seen her naked once before that too, but it was different, they were just able to look over those things and deal with the situation at hand, so why now were they both frozen? Or was it all in her head, she wished that he'd say something to break the silence.

Just as she thought that, he let out an irritated sigh, "Stop dirtying up my bed and why are you sniffing me anyway?." he grunted, going back to drying his hair, "You can just use my bathroom and leave the dress on the floor, I can burn that vomit covered dress too while I'm burning the sheets." he called as he watched her get up to gather her clothes and head towards the shower.

"No way!" She protested, "I'll just wash it. Ben gave me this as a gift, I can't just trash it." She laughed lightly glad that the awkwardness must have been in her head.

"All the more reason to burn it." Levi snorted, but Hanji didn't seem to hear him as she bounded into the bathroom. He didn't really like or trust Ben, he wasn't trusting the whole 'nice old man act'. The man had only known Hanji for almost 2 weeks and he was already trying to give her his dead wife's clothes? And he was the one that took them to that shitty bar last night, insisting to go, just what was his deal? Levi had been planning to stay at the office in the fortress to address some paperwork, but there was a chance Ben might be hanging around and Levi wanted to keep an eye on him; for safety reasons of course.

"Thanks bringing me to work but you don't have to stay if you don't want to." Hanji was whispering to Levi as she was on her way to take tea to a customer.

"I want to stay." Levi insisted.

"Then why not go to your office, it's quieter there." Hanji suggested with an anxious smile.

"I like this spot, I can keep an eye out for any potential attackers." Levi replied as he looked over some of the paperwork splayed out on the table in front of him.

"Well yes, but you're making the customers uneasy." Hanji said. Levi's eyes scanned the room as a few families that visited today stared at him with nervous eyes.

"So I should risk your life because of these people? They are not my job, protecting you is."

"Uh huh, but the only person you've been looking at the whole time is Ben."

"Well why is he here?" Levi asked before Hanji could even fully let Ben's name leave her mouth, "He's just a landlord so why is he so involved, I don't trust him." He didn't, Ben irritated him, there was something about him that Levi didn't like.

"What?" Hanji chortled, "Ben is just a nice old man who's helping out."

"Hanji, he gave you the building for free," Levi looked up at her from where he sat a more serious look than usual on his face, "He helped a lot on opening day, he took us to that shitty bar the other night and he gave you clothes too."

"Well, he's just being nice." Hanji replied, but a bit of doubt entered her own mind as she heard it out loud, "Do you think he has another reason?" she asked suddenly sitting down next to Levi at the table he'd been sitting at and peaking over her shoulder to make sure Ben couldn't hear.

"You are the most Desirable Woman humanity has to offer now, remember?" Levi reminded her. It was pretty easy for the both of them to forget actually. To Hanji, she was just; Hanji, to Levi she was still too excited, weirdo Shitty Glasses, they could have named her Queen and he wouldn't have saw her any differently… No wait, he might have laughed.

"Hah, but he's kinda old and he really sounds like he's still really dedicated to the memory of his wife and family and all." Hanji reasoned.

"That's why he gave you the clothes, so you'd look like her, he's still a man, he still has desires." Levi countered. He saw Hanji's jaw drop, but she shook her head.

"I don't know, I think he's just trying to be nice."

"Right now he's potentially a threat to your safety, and that's my area of concern, not yours. You should get back to work and let me worry about this, it is pretty busy." Levi assured her as she nodded, he was sure she had something else to say, but the buzzing of the customers reminded her that her job came first.

The day passed like that, customers came and went, the staff and Ben helped out, Hanji buzzed around busily smiling at everyone and laughing her usual crazy laugh that people seemed to be getting used to, while Levi sat in the back of the cafe, keeping an eye on Ben.

"Thanks for the help today, Ben." Levi watched as Hanji and Ben were drinking tea at the end of the day near the counter just as they had the day before. They had been talking for about twenty minutes, Levi heard him apologize for the previous night and tell her that it was a bar he usually went to, but that the men visiting weren't the usuals and yaddda yadda, some load of crap that Levi was pissed he had to hear. If Ben was so worried that night he should have stayed and tried to help out rather than leave at the first suggestion.

"No problem, Sweetie." Ben laughed lightly, his grey eyes squinting as he smiled, placing his hand over the hand Hanji had been resting on the table. Levi didn't miss the way Hanji's eyes went wide in shock as she looked down at his hand, and without even thinking Levi jumped to his feet, his heart lurching in his chest as he marched over towards them.

"Uhm, what are you doing?" Hanji asked looking at her now covered hand.

"Nothing." Ben went on smiling, giving her hand a pat, but not moving his hand, but by then Levi was already with them.

"Oh, hi, Levi." Ben smiled, but Levi scoffed, Ben had seen Levi all day, yet he chose now to great him? Levi still gave him a brief nod of acknowledgement, the man was Hanji's landlord, he wasn't going to risk her losing her business until he had proof that the man was a creep.

"Hanji, did you forget that today we were going to get the furniture for your room?" Levi asked, "We should go before the sun sets." Levi suggested diverting his gaze to the window, indicating that it was getting late. Hanji looked at him utterly confused for a moment and he was instantly sure she would single handedly ruin his attempt to help her with her stupid honesty so he took a more direct approach, "Come on then." He hooked his arm around her waist and her eyes went so wide he worried they might pop out of her face, "Ah, sorry, Ben, you should probably go, we have to get ready to leave soon and all."Levi said with a false sympathy.

Levi saw Ben's eyes fall on Levi's arm around Hanji's waist, but the smile on his face never wavered once.

"Oh, I had a few errands to run anyways, you two have fun, see you soon." Ben laughed, the last part of his statement so clearly directed to Hanji that Levi couldn't help but roll his eyes, and found himself unconsciously pulling Hanji a little closer by the waist. The shock from Levi being so touchy stole all of Hanji's words and left her only able to nod as the chimes on the door rang indicating Ben's departure.

"Tch, creepy old man," Levi scowled. The warmth from under his arm suddenly disappeared as Hanji spun away from him hold, "Ah sorry." He mumbled, "You should go wash your hands and get ready to go, you really do need some things for your room." Levi sighed.

"Why do I have to wash my hands?" She asked lightly, still a bit confused as to why he put his arm around her just to tell Ben to go. Levi shrugged, as he realized it was because Ben had been holding her hand. No way he could say that, something like that bothering him didn't even make any sense, and what possessed him to put his arm around her?

"I can just go get that stuff this weekend." Hanji shrugged, seeing that he wasn't going to answer as she slumped tiredly down at one of the tables and looked around with a frown at the mess she still had to clean up.

"Why'd you scare Ben off?" She grumbled crossing her arms on the table she sat at, "He was going to help me clean up."

"He was getting touchy, I didn't like it." as the words left his mouth, he knew there was something odd about the formation of them somehow, but the look that spread on Hanji's face as she heard them confirmed it.

"You didn't_ like _it?" She asked, her eyebrows quirked up as she got to her feet with a mischievous smile, suddenly all tiredness forgotten at the prospect of something interesting.

"Yes, as a safety thing. He's getting too close, he could have easily cut you or something." Levi knew he was grasping at hay now. He knew Ben might have been bad for her safety and that him being so touchy was bad, but when he's said he didn't like it just now, he was all to aware that it had nothing to do with business. Ben's hand on her hand made his skin crawl and his stomach sick. Was is because Ben was so old or something? Or was that sick feeling in his stomach that Levi felt almost 3 weeks ago what he was sure he shook, back?

"Riiight?" Hanji hummed playfully, as she walked up next to him and sat on the counter that he was standing next to.

"Either way, we really do have to get you somethings for your room, at least a bed." Levi sighed, glad that she wasn't forcing the issue.

"You don't have to, I can get it myself." She smiled leaning her head on her shoulder, "Your job is just to keep me safe after all, I'd feel bad if I keep dragging you into my personal business." She smiled as she she closed her eyes feeling relaxed. It was the same feeling of having a good day of research the feeling of getting something useful done was nice and now Levi was actually being kind of casually social? She felt good, the room had a warm sort of feeling, it was comfortable.

"Tch!" Levi scoffed, a faint smile on his lips, "A bit too late for that, seems like these past few weeks I keep getting dragged into your business no matter what I do." he looked up at her sitting there with her eyes closed. Her skin looked warm in the orange glow of the room, his hand twitched at his side and he felt a bit shocked that he wanted to touch her cheek and see if it felt as warm as it looked.

"Haha! Right? The bathroom incident, then I ran away, and now the business." Hanji snorted, her eyes opening as she dropped from the counter and stood next to them, the both of them facing the empty tables, "I must be a troublesome person to look after."

"You are." The smile on his face was still there and he didn't know why. He felt kind of warm, happy. They were the only two in the building, the guards had gone to get tea leaves for the next day, the fireplace that was in the back of the room crackled, as the warm orange of the evening sky left the room washed in a warm color that matched the mood. It was a simple kind of happiness, the happiness of normality that he'd never had a chance to feel before because to the titans, because of his work the past two years, Hanji was the same, but here in this teashop there was an easy kind of happiness that they both felt. They weren't the same people they had been back then, not with each other, something was changing, and they were both starting to feel it, both trying to fight it. Both failing.

Hanji looked at Levi from the corner of her eye and smiled, this was the second time she'd seen him smiling in the past two days; this had to be a record. The room was silent for a moment, only the sound of the fireplace crackling in the air before he looked up and saw her staring at him. The smile on his face fell a bit at the soft smile on her face, it stunned him, it was the same smile that she gave him when he agreed to let her move to the city, something in the back of his mind warned him to look away, that smile was a trap! That smile was a trap that very well could get him to agree to anything if he wasn't careful, it was too shocking for him, but he was already caught and he couldn't tear his eyes away from her own big brown eyes.

Hanji wasn't sure why Levi was suddenly looking at her so intently, like he'd never seen her before, but there was something else in his gaze and it enamored her, she froze, her heart jumped hard in her chest and she was sure it gave out for a moment. Not many times had she seen his grey eyes look that way, his eyes were usually a bit intimidating to must people, but right now, they didn't look so cold, they looked friendly and warm. She felt like she was under a spell he was looking at her like that and it was making her forget a lot of common sense, forget that he was Levi, forget that there was no way that look could have meant anything, forget that she was Hanji and that Levi never really looked at her as anything more than a workmate, she forgot to breathe too.

"Ahhhhhgh!" Hanji gasped clutching her chest, she saw Levi's eyes go wide for a moment before he looked away as if he remembered where and who he was. The gasping of Hanji as she tried to catch her breath, her heart still pounding reminded her of who she was and who he was instantly.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked patting her on the back now. She was the one to do something embarrassing and not care, he was the one to help her when it got out of hand. That was all… she knew that so why was that thought disappointing?

"I was seeing… How long.. I could hold my breath." She lied shooing his hand away, "I'm fine!" she laughed, as Levi sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Let's go, Shitty Glasses, we have to get you your bed tonight at least, I'm too tired from dragging you back and forth from the fortress to go back there again if I'll end up having to bring you here again in the morning and I have work to do. I'll stay in the office tonight." he sighed walking towards the door.

"Oh okay." Hanji nodded before following him. He had already exited the door when she paused for a moment, "….When's the last time he called me Shitty Glasses?" She wondered aloud. It had to at least have been a few weeks ago, but it seemed like a really long time ago. Now that she thought about it, the last 2 years they lived together at the fortress, they hardly ever even spoke unless she wanted to talk about titans and then he'd call her 'Shitty Glasses' and shoo her away, but the Last few weeks he'd been calling her 'Hanji'. Why was that? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that in the last three weeks they'd spent more time together than in the last 2 years and things between them seemed to have changed a little bit, but how? And how come a little thing like him looking at her made her all nervous? What did that mean? Was she- "GAHH!" Hanji yelled as a hand slammed down on the glass to the shop. She looked up and saw Levi staring at her impatiently, "Alright here I come." she grumbled to herself, her previous questions forgotten for the moment as she tried to get over the fact that she almost just had a heart attack, but her questions wouldn't allowed themselves to be settled for long.

**I think this is the shortest chapter I've ever written. I figured I'd end it here before I made it too long and instead start working on the next chapter because things are changing between these two, they're starting to see it and I don't want to rush it, with a spaz like Hanji and someone as out of touch with 'emotions' as Levi, I didn't think throwing them straight from the frying pan of sexual tension into the fire was a good idea. Let'em sizzle slow B) … Sorry I couldn't help typing that. Please review if you'd please, it makes this writer smile a big goofy smile whenever they are seen.**


	6. Revelation

**Hello again and welcome back to the world of slightly awkward building tension between an emotional shut in and a clueless genius. Ahhh~ **  
**I own no snk characters (;_;) -sobs-**

Hanji woke up in her room with a contented sigh as she sank into her bed. It had been a long week of taking care of the teashop, but it was finally the weekend and she was finally going to have a day off. She rolled in her comfortable bed, well technically it was Levi's old bed, he had the guards bring it and gave it to her claiming he couldn't use it again because she'd made it all filthy the night she got drunk so he would get a new one. She didn't care what he called her though, this bed was the stuff dreams were made of. It was soft and plush and firm, Hanji spent a lot of time at the teashop daydreaming about returning to her bed. Now that it was the weekend and she'd just woken up in this fine specimen of a bed with the birds chirping outside she figured she'd spend as much time as she wanted in bed, hell she might not leave it all weekend, who needed meals and regular showers when they had a bed like this? She flopped around in the bed like a fish out of water until she heard a knock on the door.  
"Who is it?" Hanji asked peeking out from underneath the sheets. Had it been the week before she would have assumed it was Levi, but over the last week he'd barely said more than two sentences to her. He just sat in the back of the teashop keeping an eye on Ben and doing his paperwork. Hanji was kind of sad that the little friendship she thought they might have been forming was going away, but once she realized the more time she spent away from him, the less her stomach flip flopped, she felt a little better about it. She was sure that weird feeling in her stomach must have just been something she ate, maybe it was gas, she'd lay off the beans for a bit and she'd be fine.  
"It's me." Levi called from the other side of the door and her stomach flopped again, she wasn't shocked, she'd eaten beans for dinner after all, but she still shot out of the covers like a bat out of hell and scrambled across the room to open the door.  
"Hey!" She sang as she yanked the door open. Levi nearly jumped by the force in which the door opened well that and the birds nest of hair that stood up on her head was a bit jarring.  
"We agreed to go this weekend to buy you furniture for your room." Levi reminded her.  
"B-but the bed!" Hanji whined looked back at the bed and then at Levi hoping he would understand. "The bed will be here when you get back." He sighed as he looked around her room. Clothes were scattered on the floor along with books on tea, pens, paper all sorts of things that wouldn't have to be on the floor if she just had at least something other than a bed, "Get dressed so we can get this done quickly, I have an important meeting later and I don't want to be late."  
"Just rest then, I'm fine on my own." Hanji sighed leaning in the doorframe, "I don't want to be a bother or anything."  
"If you don't want to be a bother than hurry and get dressed." He replied tiredly. Staying at the cafe to keep an eye on Ben meant it took longer for him to get his paperwork done and meant less time to sleep, which made him more impatient than usual.  
"Well you just seemed like you didn't want to be around me too much so I thought-" Hanji started  
"Stop thinking so much," Levi sighed again. Had she noticed? Sure he was more busy, but he was intentionally trying to put space between them while still doing his job, just until he could get his head together. After all, how could he do his job if lately he had a minor heart attack every time she smiled at him? He was sure he was losing his mind or would end up doing so if things went on that way. That wouldn't do, he spent all of his time now working from his office at the cafe to look out for Hanji, but spent this week interacting with her as little as possible and now he felt a bit more certain that the heart spasms he felt the weeks prior had been a fluke. It was probably gas or something, he'd just eat less beans and it should go away.  
Hanji smiled for a second glad that he was back to bring the same old irritated faced, sighing Levi, maybe things hadn't changed too much. "Alright I'll be down in a minute." She said before closing the door.

A few hours later Levi found himself along trailing after Hanji who'd gotten herself lost in the thrill of the market they'd gone to. He was beginning to wish he'd taken her suggestion to stay home, it was packed there and since Hanji had run out of clean clothes, she resorted to wearing a plain tan dress that fell a bit above her knees with flowers stitched along the deep scoop in the neckline from the clothes Ben had given her, every eye of every man on the way there had been on her and being here was no different.  
"Levi! Look at this tea! It's the chai I bought you before!" She squealed as the shop owner smiled at her and Levi rubbed his forehead. It was clear to Levi that the man selling tea had met Hanji before due to the way that he handled Hanji's boundless energy.  
"We came here for the dressers and shelves Hanji." Levi sighed. He didn't really feel like being in the market for too long, he was tired and it was busy there. So much life being around him so carefree, it was still something he was getting used to, it usually gave him a headache, especially when he was as tired as he was feeling that day.  
Hanji looked back at him with a frown for a moment before speaking, "Okay okay, You go ahead and look at the furniture, it's right next to here anyway, I'll catch up." She assured him before turning back to talk to the tea vendor.  
Levi shrugged, that was good enough for him, he'd just pick out somethings he thought would work for her, pay and the guards they'd brought along with them would help them carry it back.  
"Can I help you sir?" The elderly woman tending the furniture stand asked running over to him, "For you anything half price." she smiled sweetly, but Levi hardly looked at her.  
"What's the sturdiest thing you have?" Levi asked, knowing Hanji she'd probably stumble into everything at least once, he'd try and find something that wouldn't break too easily.  
"Ahh, sturdy furniture for a sturdy man." The woman giggled slapping him lightly on the butt, "Just let me get a pad and paper to write down prices.". Levi didn't know what to do, his natural reaction was to punch her, but he couldn't hit an old lady so he just stood there in shock while the woman went off to get a pad and paper to write down the prices.  
She showed him a set of very plain wooden pieces consisting of a bedside table, bookshelf and a dresser and Levi was set on getting those and getting away from the woman's constant poking and prodding as soon as possible.  
"Just let me add up the prices for everything sweetie." She said placing her hand on his chest and shuddering a bit. Levi went utterly still unsure how to deal with the constant assault of this woman.  
"Making friends?" An amused voice chucked from behind. He turned around in time to see Hanji standing there, a bag in her hands and a smile on his face. He could have kicked himself as he watched the eyes of the men around her trace the curves that the dress she was wearing made more exaggerated.  
"Who's this strumpet?" The woman who had been helping Levi asked giving Hanji a dirty look.  
"Strumpet?" Levi asked utterly confused. The woman had just been so friendly, what was with the change?  
"Oh," Hanji piped up, seemingly ignoring the woman's comment, "Is this the furniture you picked for my room?" Hanji asked walking over to get a better look as the old lady's face went sour.  
"Yes, I was about to pay." Levi informed her as the old lady's frown deepened. He was impressed that Hanji could remain so calm while this old lady was glaring at her, but she managed to.  
"Ahhh, so this is your girlfriend huh?" she asked bitterly, "No, you don't get a half off, I changed my mind." The old woman huffed as she scribbled down a price, "Here, this is what you pay. Pay and go, you tease." She snarled and Levi stood in shock, what just happened?  
"Ahahahaha!" Hanji roared with laughter, "This guy is a tease isn't he?" Hanji laughed as the old lady looked at her in shock, "He just does whatever he wants and leaves you in his wake, just this morning he made me come here to buy furniture for my room! We don't even really live together!" Hanji exclaimed, her eyes going wide behind her glasses.  
"Whaaat? So he's a stalker then?" The old lady asked looking very confused as she looked up at Levi now, "But he's so handsome."  
"Ahahaha!" Hanji laughed again doubling over and slapping her knee, "No, no, he was only hired to look after me for a bit, he's nice, just really pushy, and he always makes fun of my glasses and calls me dirty."  
"Ohhh, now that you mention it, he does kind of have a mean face." The old woman hummed looking at Levi with a bit of a scowl now. What the hell, when did he become the bad guy? Ugh, who cared?  
"Okay, okay." The woman said patting Hanji on the shoulder with a smile now, "I'll give you the discount, you seem nice enough, just be careful when dealing with stalkers okay."  
"Haha, I will." Hanji smiled as Levi payed the woman who now took the money from him with distrust in her eyes as she looked at him. Levi was a bit impressed how Hanji could go from being called a 'strumpet' to getting discounts in three seconds, sure she was a weirdo, but she had something that he never had; charm. She seemed to make everyone she met care about her, even back in the days of the Survey Corps her squad treated her like family, even Erwin seemed to like her a lot , he would tell Levi how charming he thought she was whenever she walked by, but Levi was always too busy thinking about other things to really notice it until these last few weeks.  
"I'll take the furniture back to the teashop, I'll carry the shelves." Levi announced before turning to walk away.  
"Ah, I guess we're leaving now," Hanji smiled at the old woman. "I run a teashop a little further in town called the Silver Dimple, if you ever have a chance, you should stop by sometimes, I'll give you a cup of tea on the house as a thanks for the discount." Hanji promised with a smile before turning away to pick up the table and catch up with Levi who was already pretty far along as he carried the two big shelves with ease. As Hanji trailed after him, she couldn't help but think how cool he looked.

"I'm so tired." Hanji grunted as she flopped down at one of the tables in the teashop. Levi and herself had just finished taking the dresser and shelves to her room and now they both sat in the teashop sipping on the chamomile tea she'd prepared, both agreeing to take a break before bringing up the table.  
Levi said nothing, he just sipped his tea and looked out of the window intently. "The tea is good." He said offhandedly.  
"Ah, it's supposed to do something… I read it helps you feel relaxed." She shrugged unsure, but Levi had hardly heard her, his eyes were fixed on the life outside of the window, the ever reoccurring wonder that people could walk the streets and have no fear, yet he still felt so guarded and alert. Maybe it was just his nature.  
"Hey Levi?" Hanji asked, bidding with the handle of her teacup, unsure if she wanted the answer to the question she was about to ask, "Why do you look after me?"  
Levi's eyes left the window lazily as he turned to look at her, "It's my job." He said simply.  
"Yeah but you have a lot of jobs, you could hand this one off to someone I mean, you dropped a lot of money and went through a lot of trouble to get my furniture. You didn't have to." she continued, her eyes fixed on her tea.  
He scoffed, she designed his office here for him, yet he gets her two shitty shelves and a dresser and she's getting shy over this? "It wasn't my money, your expenses are paid by our government since your under their protection. Your room was becoming a safety hazard again, it's my job to keep you from dying. If you tripped over a pile of your junk and died I'd be in trouble." He replied half jokingly.  
"Hmm. True." Hanji laughed sipping at her tea again, "But I still don't understand why they're protecting me.." She said thoughtfully, "No matter how I look at it, even if I was the 'most desirable woman' why would they have someone protecting me? Why go through the trouble?" She asked earnestly, but she could see from Levi's face he hadn't thought about it before.  
"Hmm." He hummed, he hadn't thought about it before, but now that he did why was he ordered to protect her? Was someone after her or something? It didn't seem like she knew that if someone was. He had no answer for her curious eyes that burned into him, but now he was curious too. He was about to tell her he'd look into it when she suddenly sprung from the table they sat at, "What are you-" Levi asked, but his question was answered the second he looked at the door as he saw Ben standing there with a smile waving at Hanji. Levi groaned, why the hell was Ben here? It wasn't even a workday?  
"Hey Ben!" Hanji cheered as he opened the door, "What brings you here?" she asks cheerily.  
"Ah, I wanted to drop off a present, a congratulations for a good first week." He smiled holding up a netted bag that held two bottles of wine, "This is the good stuff, it's well aged, had it since the titans." Ben smiled holding it out to Hanji, his free hand on her back.  
"I can't accept that." Hanji smiled, "It's probably expensive."  
"Oh don't be silly, take it, take it!" Ben enthused, laughing as he handed it to her and refused to take it back.  
"You sure are eager to get her drunk all of the time." Levi scoffed as he drank his tea, but he dropped it as soon as Hanji glared at him.  
"Ah sorry, you're having a date, I just wanted to drop this off and be on my way." Ben said with a smile. Hanji laughed and waited for Levi to remind Ben that they weren't dating, but he silently went on sipping his tea.  
"I'll see you on Monday then." Ben said, his smile a little deeper as he left just as soon as he'd arrived, turning down Hanji's offer to stay awhile.  
"Kooky old man." Levi scoffed bitterly as he looked at the wine suddenly feeling irritated. It was indeed the good stuff, the man might have been a creep, but he had good taste in wine. Sure the tea was good, but Levi was feeling the urge to have a good cup of wine now. "Hanji do you have wine glasses?" he asked.  
"You want to drink it now?" She asked. She'd never seen Levi drink unless he was really stressed out, "Sure I have a few, I want to try it too actually." She shrugged getting up to get the glasses, but as she grabbed he glasses from a shelf and turned to face Levi she was met with a glare. "Whaaat?" She whined, "I don't want to drink a lot, I swear I won' puke on you again." She said putting her hand over her heart, "Besides we already broke the deal to never drink together again, and nothing tragic happened so who cares?" She chuckled.  
"Fine, it's your wine anyway." He said taking one of the glasses and pouring his own glass before handing her the bottle. He didn't feel like arguing with her, he just wanted a drink.  
"Cheers." She said with a smile, lightly knocking their glasses together, and he merely hummed in response. He was drinking with her as a circumstantial thing, if anything he'd rather be drinking alone, at least then he wouldn't be looking at the source of stress that made him want the damn drink, she was so damn perplexing.

"Hahhhh!" Hanji sighed smiling as the evening air caressed her face, "It feels good." She smiled brightly and Levi laughed a bit next to her.  
"You're drunk." he accused, feeling a bit high in sprits as well. They were standing out on the balcony attached to her room, Hanji said the wine would taste better up there in the fresh air so they went to drink it there. The next thing they knew, one bottle was done as they drank in silence and the next bottle was halfway done as evening arrived and they finally began talking to each other the words flowing as easily as the wine.  
"Only a little." Hanji smiled somberly as she looked down at the people walking through the city below them, "It's weird." she stared leaning on the balcony railing, "All of these people, so carefree, yet I still wake up sometimes thinking the titans might attack. I know they didn't forget but it seems different for them…"  
"I know." Levi sighed from where he sat, "We were too deep in that world, saw too many titans and did too many things to change the way things were. Our hands are dirty, guess we haven't washed off all the blood yet" He smiled bitterly as he drained his glass before pouring more, "Making a change is hard." He said from where he stood, "I feel it too when I look at people in the teashop. They live simple lives and I still wake up thinking of survival. We're abnormal."  
"Yeah, simple happiness isn't for people like us." Hanji laughed lightly as the breeze blew again tickling her face, but when she looked at Levi, his face bitter, she knew where his mind was, he was thinking about the simple happiness that he once had a promise of. She knew it, but she doubted he realized that she knew what he was thinking about, after all it seemed like he didn't remember that one night all those years ago too clearly, he might not have remembered telling her. Either way, her expression softened as she processed the troubled look on his face, "That doesn't mean we can't be happy though." She added.  
Levi looked at her in shock. How did she know? How'd she know that he was wondering if not being able to have simple happiness meant they could have no happiness? "How do you always do that?" He asked in wonder as he looked at her.  
"I didn't do anything." She smiled before turning to walk back inside. Her head was swimming and in the glow of the evening light and alcohol, Levi seemed warm again, she was drunk again, and she wished she could crash into him and just feel how warm he was. She knew she had to get away, before it ended like that night from so many years ago, hell only last week they's almost re-lived that. She didn't want to risk the night reliving itself this time so she walked away. She didn't expect him to follow her.  
"You did. You do it all the time, that smile and that talk you always do, you always say the right words and it's driving me crazy." he rubbed his head, he was feeling it now, he'd drank too much, his mind was slow, his words flowed too easily, his emotions that he wasn't even aware of was starting to spill out.  
"I have no clue what you're talking about." Hanji sighed flopping down in her bed. Part of her suggested that she should not lie down, it was to familiar to that one night again and she knew she didn't want to handle that again, but another part of her was too giddy from the fresh air, too loose from the wine and too comfortable in his company to care.  
"You should." He said leaning in the doorway as he looked at her, "I swear you do it on purpose. Every single time I'm around you and there's something on my mind, you open your dammed mouth and say all the right words." He slurred with a chuckle. "It's annoying."  
"Hah!" She laughed kicking back her head, "You too you know!" she propped herself up on her arm and turned to look at him, "You think I would have been able to move in here without your help? Whenever I thought things were hard you helped me out, you think it's not weird for me too?" She asked flopping back on the bed. She didn't want to look at him anymore, his eyes on her was making her stomach do that thing again, it was making her feel warm all over, could she blame that on gas?  
"It's annoying that I help you?" He asked thoughtfully, watching her lay back on the bed. He was feeling warm all of a sudden, but that made no sense, the cool air from the balcony was making the room chilly, so why was he feeling so warm?  
"It's not annoying, I just don't know how to deal with it. You say I'm just a job, but you do all this extra stuff for me, it makes me want to do nice things in return and then I feel confused. You're confusing." She hummed staring at the ceiling.  
"You confuse me to. I am just doing my job, but…" he paused, "That woman in the market who called you a strumpet?" he started and watched as she laughed remembering her, kicking up her legs and sending her dress sliding a bit up her thighs, "I feel like her sometimes." he went on, trying to keep his eyes on her eyes rather than her legs, "I call you shitty glasses, I call you dirty, I want to be harsh with you and treat you like anybody else, but then you stroll over with a dammed smile and your clueless attitude and the next thing I know you've got me acting differently. You've got me smiling and drinking tea with you and doing things for you that I never planned to, what the hell kind of shit is that?" He asked.  
"Ahh, words are too heavy, I'm drunk, you're drunk, we're just saying things we don't really mean, we'll forget tomorrow. We'll just go back to be confused." she closed her eyes now for a moment. She didn't want to be confused, she wanted to know why she was feeling this way, but they were so drunk, it would end like list time if things kept going this way.  
"Then we should clear the confusion." He said plainly, she could hear him walking now, she was sure he would pass her straight and leave the room, but the steps got closer and stopped. She felt the bed sink next to her. Half of her brain urged her that things were about to get messy, she should tell him to leave, the other half urged her to open her eyes and look at him, reach for him, but she didn't know what to do. Her brain pulling her in both directions, she settled for staying utterly still. The weight on the bed shifted, he was moving closer, she could feel the warmth of him close to her though they weren't touching. She knew she should stop this, but she wanted to feel this warmth, it had been so long since she felt the warmth of someone close to her. The movement next to her stopped for a moment, she was sure he would move away, she was sure he would know this was a mistake and leave, she was sure he would reject her, again. She squeezed her eyes tight at the thought, but then something warm was on her cheek. A hand that cupped her face gently.  
It was only now she opened her eyes to see a confused face staring at her, a million questions in his grey eyes, and she stared right back. They stayed like that for a moment and she didn't move, she was still too torn about this to move. He was so warm, she'd forgotten how nice warmth was. His face was suddenly coming closer to her and she suddenly had a question pop into her mind. "Will this end like last time, or is this different?" She blurted.  
"What the hell are you talking about? We only drank together twice, and both times you puked on me, if it's gonna end like either of those nights, it's up to you." He replied, confused, as she stared at him, clearly upset. Did she wanna make out or not? What bullshit was she spewing now?  
"W-wait, y-you really don't remember… do you?" She asked, a twinge of hurt in her voice, "You weren't just trying to act like it never happened like we agreed?"  
"What are you talking about?" He asked rubbing his head as he thought back. As far as he could remember she really had only puked on him.  
"That night all those years ago you had a mission that went sour apparently and you went to drink. We happened to meet at a bar and ended up getting drunk, then I said I was hot and you said you'd help me to my room, when we got there, I…" she paused, "I had a major mission the next day and I was sure I was going to die, I didn't want to be alone that night, I hadn't known what you had been through that day.." She trailed off looking at the floor as he looked at her confused. Now that she said it, it all sounded familiar, "W-we went to my room and we slept together…" She murmured and his eyes went wide. He remembered now.  
He could remember it all; sitting in the bar alone, drinking for the sake of getting drunk (something he never did), he was in pain and then Hanji walked in at some point. By the end of the night they were both drunk out of their minds, he was sad, something bad had happened that day. Which bad thing was it again? Either way, he helped Hanji to her room and then she said she didn't want to be alone, something about a dangerous mission and probably dying the next day… oh… she said she didn't want to die a virgin and he offered to help her out, he wanted to drown his own sorrows out and thought since he worked well with Hanji it wouldn't be too bad. He was so caught up in his own sorrows, he hadn't cared that she might have died the next day, or that the usually excitable Hanji was somber, shy, scared, he said it was fine he'd guide her through it, but he'd barely looked at her, he'd barely paid her any mind, he just did it, and the worst part… he remembered it now, the whole time the name he called, was…. Petra. At the end of it all he got dressed and that's when she threw up on him.  
She'd asked if they could pretend it never happened, clearly embarrassed for getting sick, embarrassed for clearly not knowing that he and Petra had been romantic, or that she'd died that day. He agreed not to talk about it as well and they moved on as if nothing ever happened, fighting the titans took up so much time that neither of them even had the time to worry about it, but felt sick, not only had he been so thoughtless about it, but he'd even forgotten how the whole thing happened. He looked up at her and wondered why the hell she was ever so thoughtful to him when she remembered the past while he had been so callous, "Why are we doing this then?" He asked, his hand over his mouth as the memories crashed back making him nauseous. If their whole forgotten past was alcohol and desperate sex, then no wonder he was so confused about her now.  
"This is different isn't it? That time and this time." She said quietly, "I-I mean you said you were confused by me right?" she looked up again, something kind of desperate in her eyes while she spoke "I'm confused myself, I don't know what the hell is happening. Mental attraction physical attraction, I don't really know, maybe it' not real attraction at all, but how can we know if we don't try anything?" she went on in the same quiet tone.  
He looked at her, her face was red, he hair fanned out on the pillow under her head, without her glasses he could clearly see the honest expression in her eyes and it burned him. Whether he liked her or not as a person, he didn't know, but damn if those red lips didn't make him want to kiss her, but now that he was just reminded of what he'd done...  
"I apologize." he murmured rubbing his forehead, "Let's just forget it." he sighed moving to get up.  
"What do you mean? Forget how much?" She started, sitting up and grabbing his sleeve, "What you said before about confus-" she stopped as she watched Levi shake his head.  
"Let's forget this happened, we're drunk we broke our rule again and almost did something stupid." he repeated before giving her a pat on the head "It won't happen again, Shitty Glasses." he gave her a glum sort of smile as he got to his feet.  
Hanji watched silently, frozen in shock, her eyes stinging as he got up, walked across the room, and left, closing the door behind him with a finalized click that echoed loudly through the room.

**Ahhhhhh I hate writing 'lovey' scenes, it's difficult :( … Levi was a jerk back then a bit, now things are different, but still...**


	7. That Night

**I felt like I should reveal exactly what happened that night to clarify what they remembered, it's not needed to enjoy the story, it's a little heavier than the rest of the story and it's not actually needed to understand the story, but i wanted to write it anyway, but if you wanna know, it's here. Boom. Rated M for good reason...**  
**I own no snk :(**

-  
Levi story

The world was moving in slow motion, he was walking, but every step was taken in slow motion, every movement heavy…. She was gone, she was gone it was his fault, she was never coming back. She was gone, that smile was gone, her smell that drifted from her skin, the warmth of her in his arms, her eyes, her feistiness that he adored, it was all gone. Her family had blamed him, they told him how happy she was to be working with him, they smiled at him, their smile was kind and accepting, their smiles held the promise of something he'd never known; family. The fact that he managed to hold it together when he told them that she'd died on that mission was amazing.  
They hit him and he took it. They insulted him and he took it, had they spit on him he would've taken it. For losing her, for not bringing her home, he deserved it all. When he told them her body was lost on the way they hit him harder, insulted him more deeply, and spit at him, and he took it. He deserved it all.  
He should have never let her kiss him. She caught him off guard. He had been helping her groom her horse when she suddenly reached out and kissed him, he asked her why, but she merely told him the truth; she liked him. It made him laugh a bit, she was honest and simple. He liked that, so he let her hang around, he followed him everywhere, like a shadow, she followed him and took note of his actions, trying so hard to be like him, but he thought she was fine as herself, he told her that too. He should't have told her that, she followed him to his bedroom that same night and from then on, he painstakingly slowly opened his heart to her, they had plans, to get married, plans for a family, plans to stay together. He'd broken them all single handedly now.  
There was a chime of doorbells as he finally made it to the bar he was walking to. Someone said something to him, he didn't know what it was, he didn't care.  
He took a seat at the bar before calling over a bartender, "Give 2 glasses, make sure they're full until I say otherwise or until I'm dead." He said gravely. The bartender simply nodded before pouring him a drink. Levi knocked it back in the blink of an eye relieved to finally feel a little warmth.

Hanji story

"Hanji, are you sure you want to try and capture another titan?"  
"Yes, I have to, it seems like these titans are behaving a bit differently than the ones from before and I can't risk testing on Eren too much." Hanji said gravely as she adjusted her glasses on her face.  
Erwin gave her a long hard look before nodding, "It might prove useful, but you might have to go with a very small team, can you handle that?" Though his words were simple they both knew what he was really asking if she was prepared for the high chance of dying on this mission.  
"Yes sir!" She saluted, she had to do this, people dying around her, the loss of her titans, she needed to help out and she knew her best place wasn't necessarily the front lines. She knew that she needed to do this and also that if she went with a small team, it was very unlikely that she'd come back. but what choice did she have now? He gave her a slow nod of understanding, his eyes a bit sad as he dismissed her.  
She left the room with a somber feeling. Her life was titans and science, always. There was a lot she hadn't done; never been kissed, never had a boyfriend, never had alcohol, never lived in the outside world, there was a ton more but she figured it was better not to think about it. It wasn't like she could accomplish them today anyways.  
Her steps were heavy as she walked down the hall. If this was going to be her last day, she wasn't going to spend all night thinking about it. At least one of those things she's never done could be accomplished.

Escape the Bar

The chiming of the bells to the door of the bar pulled Levi's attention from his second drink as his eyes landed on the last person he wanted to see right now. Hanji wasn't bad, they worked well together, helped each other out now and then, almost like friends, but not quite, but she was too damn excitable, he usually didn't think much of it, but the last thing he wanted now is to have to deal with that energy. He just wanted to drown out the sorrows. He was ready to tell her to piss off when she sat next to him, but when she sat, she didn't say a word to him, she just ordered a bevy of drinks, and pushed a few his way. He looked at her a moment before excepting one, then two. The next thing he knew they were both fucked up.  
"Why are you drinking?" She asked somberly, hung over the table.  
"I want to." he replied bluntly. She smirked a sly smirk before holding up a drink and knocking back in response before she sighed. "It's hot." She said taking off the top few buttons of her shirt.  
He watched her as she did. Her hands were not the hands of Petra, not as smooth or small, but the action instantly took him back to memories of Petra undoing the buttons of her shirt with a little grin in the dim lighting of his office. His hand found it's way on top of hers, keeping her from undoing her buttons. Instantly reminded him that the day before she died, she'd come to his room, but he'd turned her away saying he was too tired, if only he'd known.  
"Don't do that here." He slurred. but she pouted, "You're fucking wasted, I'll take you back to your room." He offered. If it was Petra right now he would have done the same.  
She shrugged and got up from her barstool, slamming down a large wad of money as she did, saying that she paid for his too. He wasn't sure why she did that, but he didn't argue.  
Getting her out of the bar was easy, but once they both got to the streets, they could barely stand up, they drifted all over the sidewalk, a few times he almost fell in the street and she'd a lost fallen in the alleyway, but she laughed the whole way. He hadn't cracked a smile yet.

By the time he got her to her room it was the middle of the night, his head was spinning and he had to get away from her. He wanted to go drink more, Petra was still on his mind, he needed to forget that she was gone, he was in too much shock and Hanji wouldn't shut up about something or another and he was starting to get angry.  
"I'm gonna die." She was saying as she finally entered her room and flopped back on her bed with a doofy smile. She started taking her clothes off again, undoing the buttons, "Tomorrow I might really die Levi." She hummed turning her head away for a minute. And his eyes went wide, to his drunken eyes, in the dim glow of the candle near her bed, right a that angle, she looked a lot like Petra. For a moment, he was so drunk, he thought it might have been, he thought that this was Petra telling him that tomorrow she might die, if that was it, all he had to do was convince her to stay behind right?  
"Don't die." he murmured walking towards her bed, His eyes stung, Petra, she couldn't die, she couldn't leave him again, she had to stay!  
"Can't help it I've got a major mission, if I don't -" She turned to face Levi and saw his eyes were glistening, "What's wrong?" She asked, her own worries dropping at the sight of the mighty Levi misty eyed. Was it because she said she was dying tomorrow? She hadn't thought it would bother him enough to cry, but the second she sat up, his face was stoic again, perhaps she'd imagined the tears?  
"Levi," she mumbled suddenly. "I might die tomorrow, so thanks for drinking with me, that's one thing off of my list of things I didn't want to die without doing." she smirked, but his eyes were unamused, dead.  
"What else was there?" He asked bluntly, he could only wonder if Petra died with regrets as he asked.  
"Well." She started turning her head away, and Levi's gut jumped as she fell into the same angle that made her look like Petra if he squinted enough, "I didn't want to die.. a virgin." She said hesitantly.  
"I can help you with that." he breathed and she turned to face him again eyes wide with shock. Did he like her? They worked often together and really well together, but she never once thought that someone might have thought of her as a woman, everyone usually mistook her for a man or treated her like one. The thought of someone liking her warmed her heart, but it cooled t the second she turned to see him and he roughly grabbed her head and turned it away, "Just don't look at me." he warned.  
"Right." She replied softly ignoring the pain of his fingers digging in her scalp . This was meant to be no feelings attached, he was just doing a dead girl a favor, this was not an act of love, it was a desperate grasp at one night of warmth before she went cold forever, she never could have guessed that Levi was also in it for the same reasons. Both of them only wanted to feel a warmth that they thought they might not ever get to feel again, a kind of warmth that you couldn't feel alone, the warmth of someone else's body heat.  
She didn't look at him, just like he'd asked, she even closed her eyes as she felt his weight on the bed and his hands come down on her shirt buttons. The ripping of fabric shot through the air as he roughly tore it from her body and she jumped suddenly nervous, "Levi I-!" she started to look at him, but he reached out and kept her head turned away from him.  
"Is this what you want?" he asked in a rough voice, his mouth right on her ear. She shuddered, she had no idea he could sound like that, she didn't know this was what a man was like. "I'll guide you through it, but I won't be gentle." he warned huskily. Her mouth was dry, she just nodded slowly once. If it was her last night, she wasn't going to back out now. She heard the sound of fabric ripping before she felt him tie something over her eyes.  
"What are you-?" She asked but he'd roughly covered here mouth with his hand. He didn't care right now, he wanted to feel warmth, he wanted his nights with Petra back, Hanji's eyes staring up at him would've been too much, seeing eyes that weren't Petra's was wrong, but he felt so dead, so cold.  
Hanji wasn't Petra, she was good enough though, she was warm. If he closed his eyes, it was almost like being with Petra again one last time.

Hanji could barely keep her head straight, she was getting dizzy. His hands traced her body roughly drifting over her chest, down her stomach, before settling on her belt. She could feel him desperately undoing it and she lifted her hips to make it easier and he wasted no time stripping her bare. She could hear him shifting moving fast as he lifted from the bed for a moment, but then he was back, he was over her and she was feeling a nervous pit in her stomach. She was using him, this was wrong, she couldn't just use him like this because she was going to die! But then his lips came down on her neck rough, his tongue dragging down her skin, lower and lower until her thoughts were so scrambled she couldn't feel bad anymore. His hands were everywhere touching everything rough, demanding, but it felt good and she knew this wasn't his first time. She heard a moan, and it shocked her own ears as she realized it was her. She was getting anxious, this was what she'd asked for, but she was scared, her hands were by her side, she had no clue what to do with them, what to do at all, but _wow_ was he making her feel good.  
He shifted again, she could hear his belt and her heart raced, as she realized what was about to happen, she hear herself asking him to hurry up with a want in her voice that she didn't know was possible. She felt the rough skin of his hands on her thighs as he nudged them apart. There was a moment where there was no sound, she held her breath in anticipation. That was the golden moment, it was only a moment, but she was ready, she wanted this so badly now, she would've cried if he made her wait longer, but then in one motion one more thing was crossed off her list of things she'd wanted to do before she died. It hurt more than she thought it would, but she'd felt worse pain, this pain was oddly pleasant. Then he moved and "Shit" She heard him grunt, she was thinking exactly what he'd said, _ohhh shit._  
It took him a moment to position himself, but when he started, she knew he meant what he said about not being gentle, he really want for it, and she could barely keep up, she was melting, she had to have been, she barely felt like she existed as he practically slammed her into the bed over and over. She was sure she was floating as he pulled her up from the bed and held her flush to him, not breaking their breakneck pace. By some miracle she'd managed to deftly lift her arms and wrap them around him. _"O-oh my-!"_ She cried, throwing her head back in euphoria, she didn't know it was possible to feel this good, she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.  
He was mumbling something now, his lips against her shoulder she could feel them moving saying something, but she wasn't sure what. His lips came to her ear, his chin on her shoulder as he pulled her closer and then she heard it, "-etra" he murmured. She wanted to ask what the hell he was saying, but her mouth couldn't form words her jaw felt slack as he kept her pressed close, moans were all she could manage as a strange pressure built between them. He was not giving her a chance to catch her breath, think or even move in anyway that he didn't command, but she get something drip on her shoulder. Tears?  
"Petra." he groaned in her ear, his voice cracked, but at that same moment, he slammed hard into her and her eyes went wide, the world went white, she nearly screamed but he held his hand over her mouth before he rolled away from her at the last moment. She fell back on the bed panting, but the name he called, was Petra's. Her head was buzzing from the sex and alcohol, but that still rose above it all. Had he and Petra been together? Why would he sleep with her if Petra was the one he loved? Her thoughts drifted lazily through her mind, she couldn't hold onto them, she was feeling so tired, but he was already up and getting dressed.  
"This… If I live, this never happened, Levi." She panted gravely, and he nodded once as he buttoned up his shirt. The booze was making her a bit sick, so was the thought of doing something that betrayed Petra, she kinda liked Petra, but then she remembered she'd heard something happened to Petra earlier in the day. What was it again? Her eyes went wide as her hazy mind produced an answer. Petra had died today.  
"Never." He replied coldly, leaning down to get the belt from the bed, but Hanji grabbed him by his shirt. She wanted to apologize, she hadn't known what happened, she was so sorry, her wants weren't the problem here, he was suffering and she could now see it in his red eyes. She opened her mouth to say this, but words didn't come out, her lunch did.

Levi looked down at Hanji who was panting now, and down at his shirt that was covered in whatever slopped she had eaten. He felt ill. Petra had died, he'd just had a one night stand with a spaz, and that spaz puked on him, he was officially traumatized, he knew he had to be, but even the stench of vomit couldn't fully pull him out of his slump. He shoved her back, and she landed in the sheets, unconscious, he found himself rolling her on her side in case she puked again and he left the room still drunk as hell and not really sure if he remembered where his room was, but he started walking anyways.  
The next morning he woke up with a headache, and a vague memory of Hanji and a bar and her puking on him and then asking him to forget it happened. He looked down to find the evidence on his shirt and he sighed. He was definitely going to do all he could to forget that happened.

It took him longer to get ready that morning, despite the fact that he'd forgone much of his fairly extensive cleaning routine and just taken a shower and changed his clothes before walking to go meet Erwin in the hallway.  
On the way he happened to pass Hanji who was coming from her room with a heavy look on her face. She nodded briefly at him and he did the same.  
"About last night, I'm sorry." she said as he'd started to walk away, but he merely turned to her, slightly irritated that she'd brought up her barf in the hallway.  
"What are you talking about? Last night never happened, remember?" He said sternly. She looked a bit shocked, but nodded.  
Hanji looked at the serious look on his face, the deep bags under his puffy eyes and knew that even though he was acting all tough, he was still deeply hurt inside, though he'd never say it. If acting like last night never happened was what he needed to move forward and deal with the reality that Petra was gone, she wouldn't take that from him. After all, she'd used him, and he'd used her. She merely nodded before turning and walking down the hall to go on a mission she'd calculated she had a 2.7% chance of surviving, her last thought as she walked into the briefing room being that she hoped her fellow Survey Corp leader would be okay even if she wasn't there to help him out now and then.

**I really hate writing super sexy scenes, they make me cringe as I write it, but I tried man.. I tried… It's a part of the story after all, but I don't know if I did it justice.**


	8. Erwin

**Chapter 7**

** Ahhhh this is hard. Posting another chapter because I wrote a bunch of these last week and i just want to share them all! And the last chapter doesn't really count as story progression so yeah, enjoy!**

I own no snk

-

Hanji sat in the bed, dazed and confused, her hand on her head where he'd pet her before he left the room. She was aware of what had just happened, but it didn't feel real, just like the last time. There was a moment where she stared at the door and thought to go after him, but thought better of it. Even though she was drunk she knew couldn't do that, she knew it, he'd walked away, maybe for a moment he liked her, but he clearly couldn't have been too interested. Besides, she was still confused about how she felt about him, but that didn't mean that liked him right? It was a momentary lack of judgement, they were both drunk, she hadn't had any relationships with guys other than that one time with Levi, perhaps that's why she'd been confused? Besides he must have been angry if he remembered now. She'd used him all those years ago because she didn't want to die a virgin… at the time she didn't know about what happened with Petra, but it didn't change the fact that she'd used him while he was hurting, it was a heavy guilt that she'd carried all of these years  
"Ahh I'm an idiot, I must be so damn drunk." She laughed bitterly before burying her face in the covers, now hating the fact that his warmth still lingered in the sheets and it smelled like him. Maybe she had liked him truly, maybe she hadn't, her mind was still a mess, and she was as confused about him as ever nevertheless, she felt shot down and guilty and anxious, she and Levi were starting to become friends, and now that might all be ruined….

Meanwhile

Levi stumbled out of her room and stood by the door a moment trying to put his head together, trying to put together what had just happened. He'd almost kissed her, hell against his better judgement he was beginning to see she wasn't so bad, but he knew that didn't mean that he liked her. He wasn't the same Levi from the time Petra left his side. When he'd lost Petra he went mad, Petra; the one woman who he planned to dedicate his life to, Petra; the one woman whose very existence drove him to fight the titans like a mad man just in the hopes that once they were gone he could live a simple life with her, and then she died, because of him and it never stopped bothering him, but him taking it out on Hanji and then forgetting it wasn't good either. There was no way he really liked Hanji if Petra still haunted him. How could he face Hanji after he just remembered that the night Petra died he'd used Hanji as a quick release to drown his own sorrows? His head was spinning, he felt sick, reality seemed totally separate from him as he stood slumped in Hanji's doorway.  
"Sir?" One of the guards called him yanking him back to reality, "What are you doing here?" he asked cautiously.  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Levi snapped, his voice low and cold.  
"We were coming to bring Miss Hanji some tea. She worked hard this week so we thought she might want to drink some and relax." The guards went on looking genuinely concerned for her well being and confused that Levi was standing there in the first place.  
"Is that why you're coming up to her room at night? To bring her tea?" Levi scoffed, "Don't bullshit me, you think you can sneak in her room and try and sneak a feel? You think you can just take advantage of her? Remember your place!" He slurred. He'd done it in the past he'd taken advantage of her all those years ago and then forgotten, he wouldn't let himself or anyone do that to her again, not if he could help it. She was a total flake, he knew she'd forgive him again because she was an idiot, that she'd walk around and get herself hurt because she was an idiot and then she'd smile… like an idiot. Whether he liked her or not it didn't matter, she made it clear that she had an innate ability to get herself hurt, so he'd look after her physical and mental well being more carefully now; it was his job to protect her after all.  
"I-it's not that late… We just thought-" They started innocently, but Levi didn't want to hear it.  
"Don't stutter you little shit! I said she's fine, so go!" He yelled flipping the tray of tea from the guards hands. The tea flew in the air before the glass shattered on the ground and the guard looked at him in utter shock.  
"Sorry, sir! We'll go now!" They both jumped before scurrying down the hall, looking at him over their shoulder with a somewhat suspicious glance being thrown his way.  
"Dammit." he sighed looking down at the teacup and spilled tea with a heavy sigh "It broke."  
Without looking back at the cup, Levi stumbled down the hallway, trudged into his office and sat on the daybed with a heavy heart and nauseous feeling in his stomach as thoughts of time with Petra and the last few weeks with Hanji swam through his head.  
"I broke it….."

Hanji woke up the next morning her head throbbing from the alcohol and from the crying, but feeling somehow refreshed. "I'm never going to drink again…" She groaned grabbing her head as the sunlight assaulted her eyes. She looked around the room, sure that the night before had been a dream, she could hardly remember anything agreeing to forget the night before, but her puffy eyes and the two wine glasses and empty wine glasses that sat on the railing of the balcony said otherwise. "Just cheer up and go back to acting as normal. If you act normal, than so will he, just like before." She said with a small smile. In the past she and Levi got along just fine despite what happened between them, this time nothing even really happened, so she had nothing to worry about as far as she was concerned. "It's the same as before." She smiled mildly moving to get up. Just because he didn't like her as more than 'Shitty Glasses' didn't mean there was something wrong with that. She enjoyed him being near the teashop and helping her out, so either way, she was just happy he was around. Besides, she was resilient, what was a little disappointment when she'd played with titans?!  
She quickly dressed and got ready for work felling much better than the day before, but the second she left her room, she nearly stepped in broken glass, "Who left this here?" She wondered gently picking up a piece of broken teacup.

later

"Miss Hanji! Are you okay?" The two guards that worked with her at the shop ran over to her the second she came downstairs. "Ehh? I'm fine, why do you ask." She smiled cluelessly, tying hair back as she came down the stairs.  
"We came to bring you some tea last night, but Levi was standing by your door, he told us to leave, he seemed angry… did something happen?"  
"O-oh…" She started with a frown… they'd seen him leave? He was upset? Maybe he was angry at her for using him back then. She paused and the guards looked at her very carefully now, concern etched on their faces.  
"Miss Hanji… Your face is all puffy, were you crying?" one asked.  
"Me?!" Hanji asked with a forced laugh, "Why would I cry? My life is great right now! I have my shop, I have a good staff, Levi's been looking out for me too, I got the building for free, it's all working out well and I'm very happy. If I cry, it's tears of joy!" she went on laughing slapping one of them hard on the back. The guard went into a coughing fit from the unexpected slap, but still smiled seeing she was okay.  
Hanji couldn't help but smile as she looked around her little shop, shaking the concern from her mind. Even if Levi didn't seem to like her, that was fine, letting go of that brief attraction was no big deal, just like any other time, she had work to throw herself into, who cared about all the little things? Just like he said before, they'd both just act like nothing happened and it would be fine.  
"Shall we get ready to open up the shop then? I'll go speak with some vendors, then bring Levi up his cup of tea, and make one for when Ben arrives and-"  
"Levi left earlier, he had a meeting to attend to, so we only have to make Ben tea." One of the guards piped up.  
"Oh? He did say something about having a meeting today didn't he?." Hanji mumbled to herself, "Oh well, less work for me!" She snorted clapping her hands together and walking to grab her jacket, "You two start getting ready to open, I'll go get some more tea leaves." She called as she swung on her jacket.  
"B-but shouldn't we come with you?" They asked, worried.  
"I'm fine!" She assured them, "What's more important is making sure we open in time." She said seriously.  
"B-but-!"  
"Toodles!" She sang before skipping out into the cool spring air with a smile on her face ignoring the concern of the guards. She would be fine, she could fight and no one was really out this early anyways. The smell of flowers from flower boxes greeted her, the sky was blue, and the sadness she felt the other day was forgotten. More than anyone, Hanji knew that life moved on, and all she had to do was keep her head up, keep her smile and keep moving with it. "All right, let's go!" She yelled jumping animatedly in the air one fist raised high. A few of the neighbors that were out stared at her and waved at her weird display, but they were used to her doing weird stuff by now.  
Hanji smiled as she waved at her neighbors, but still she couldn't help but wonder, "Hmm, Levi did leave awfully early though, must be an important meeting. I wonder what about?"

Levi marched into his superiors officer with a splitting headache. He'd gotten up early to get to his meeting, but his head was hating him for it, and he wasn't too happy with himself either. The other day still played on his mind long after he left Hanji's room, though his head was foggy, he'd barely gotten any sleep and now he had a meeting about her safety precautions.  
"Levi, we must talk about Miss Zoe Hanji." his superior said the second Levi set foot in the room, and just her name was enough to make Levi feel a little sick, but he listened silently none the less, "Humanity's population has really taken a nosedive since the Titans attacked… there was a lot of people that were hungry that first year when we got everything together, and honestly we worry a lot about our people and their future." he went on as Levi still listened but with no clue what was happening, why was he talking about her and humanity? "Anyway," his superior went on, "We wanted to know if you had any idea if she was romantically involved." Levi's eyes went wide for a moment. Had the guards from last night said something to the superiors? Is that what this was? He had to say something, he wasn't with her _romantically_ though, they'd agreed to forget last night, so he didn't count right?  
"I wouldn't know." Levi replied slowly, not knowing what else he could have said. He wasn't with her, he sure as hell wasn't gonna let some old fart like Ben be with her, and there wasn't really anyone else that she spoke to regularly.  
"Ah, so she hasn't been hanging around any guys or anything, nothing that seemed like she might have been interested in someone?" The chief asked again and Levi felt himself getting irritated. What the hell were these questions?  
"Not that I know of sir." Levi replied as patiently as possible.  
"So you haven't seen her kiss anyone, hold hands, stare at them like she liked them, I mean anything at all? No longing gazes?" his superior asked again trying to demonstrate a longing gaze and causing Levi to cringe. But then images of the night before, how red her face was, how soft her skin was, how warm she was under his touch flashed through his mind and his stomach lurched again as he tired to resist the urge to hit himself on the head with a nearly text book to punish his mind for betraying him. Nevertheless he'd already decided earlier, all that happened between them that night was just a mistaken affection. She told him she was confused about him, not that she liked him, and he was confused about her, but Petra still played on his mind how could he like her? That left Levi with only one answer.  
"I don't believe there is anyone, sir." he stated.  
"Good, good, that's just fine." His superior said with a grin, "We were wondering when Miss Hanji was gonna settle down and start a family, considering her resilience and genius, her kids would be the cream of the crop, the best and brightest humanity had to offer."  
Levi nearly choked on his own spit. He knew that Hanji had always been well prepared to live alone, but now they wanted her to have kids? The thought of Hanji as a mother was crazy enough! "Sir." Levi started, his voice a bit strange, but his boss seemed to notice his concern and cut him off.  
"Now don't get the wrong idea, we're not going to force her to do anything. She's done a lot in her service days, she should be treated like royalty as far as we're concerned, but she refused that." He laughed and Levi's eyebrow quirked, they'd offered her a high-ranking job? "Her efforts greatly helped in the formation of this new city and we have great respect for her, but her having a family would be great for our new little society, especially if whoever she is with was also very strong mentally and physically." Levi stood silently, not sure what to say at all as his boss kept talking. "Though we believe she should be with whoever she chooses to be with." his superior went on with a smile.  
"What if she wants no one?" Levi asked bluntly.  
"Well then that's fine as well, but until she comes to me and tells me to my face, I will always look forward to seeing her contribution for a bright young generation,." His superior laughed as Levi made a mental note to drag Hanji here to tell his superior that she intended to remain single, but then he spoke again, "If I was just a few years younger though, I'd take a shot at her though, she's cute. You're a strong man to spend so much time with her and not take a crack at it, guess that's why you were humanity's strongest soldier." he laughed light heartedly.  
It took all Levi had not to show how irritated he was about this conversation, to resist the crazy urge to punch his boss, but he somehow managed.  
"I mean unless women aren't your cup of tea that's fine too," His superior said clearing his throat as if just suddenly realizing this conversation might have been a bit inappropriate. Levi felt his whole face twitch from forehead to chin, but he stood perfectly still and said nothing, "Oh by the way do you remember Erwin?" His superior asked and Levi clenched his jaw. Everyone knew Levi respected Erwin and that they'd worked closely together, so if if his superior was about to suggest what Levi was suspecting he might, he might end up losing his job in a minute.  
"What about Erwin, sir? Levi asked, his voice measured.

Hanji wandered through the market sniffing all of the different tea leaves, browsing the stalls for biscuits and cakes that might want to sell in her teashop eventually, all with her usual enthusiasm. In fact, she was more enthusiastic than usual, the shop owners had given her some extra tea leaves for free, as well as a try of cakes to sample they said it as a thanks for shopping with them so much lately and for bringing a nice place into their budding town.  
Though most of the morning she had just been pretending to be okay, she was finally starting to feel a bit better. The fresh air and kindness of the vendors did wonders for her mood. He used her too back then, so she doubted that he was really angry now that she thought about it. Who needed grumpy old Levi and the guards around all the time anyways? Being fussed over about safety all of the time was a bit overwhelming, maybe all she needed was a bit of freedom to lighten her mood, maybe her clearly mistaken attraction to him was just because he was always there, if someone else was around her as much as he was, she might have suspected she liked them for all she knew! That's right, it was just a momentary lapse of judgement and this fresh air was all she needed to- "AHH!"  
Hanji was so lost in he own thoughts that she'd completely spaced out on walking and now she had a face full of man chest. "Ahh I'm sorry!" She exclaimed trying to fix her glasses and get out of there before he recognized her as the 'Most desirable woman'. She didn't have any guards with her and just from running into his chest she could tell this guy would be hard for her to take on.  
"Zoe? Is that you?" A familiar voice asked. Hanji stood shocked. There weren't a lot of people who knew her full name, so it was a total shock to her, she froze for a moment before she slowly looked up.  
"Oh my god!" She yelled, dropping her bag to the ground as she saw his face, "You're here!" without thinking she jumped up and flung her arms around her former acquaintance's neck.

"Erwin is back in town, he says he wanted to see his old friend Hanji again." Levi's superior smiled, " I think he wants to try and date her, which would be great. If things worked out with him, think how smart and healthy their kids would be! I mean Erwin's he's a very healthy, very bright man, great planner, well organized, strong, not too harsh, and tall, great match for Miss Hanji!." his superior laughed. An idiotic little voice in the back of Levi's mind reminded Levi that he was all of those things… until he heard 'not too harsh' and then 'tall' he was sure some of this was another one of his superior's shitty jokes, but he ignored it.  
"I want you to try and set them up if you can. I heard you and Miss Hanji get along pretty well, so try and do humanity a favor and get those two together, don't let anyone stand in the way."  
Levi stood motionless as his jaw clenched. He had no reason to be angry, he already knew that all he and Hanji had was a series of drunken mistakes, she didn't make any sense for him, she was dirty and messy, he was clean and organized, she was a spaz, he wasn't, she was Hanji, he was Levi, but mostly, he'd used her in the past and she wouldn't do anything like what he'd done to her. He had all of theses reasons not to care who she was with, all of these reasons that he knew he couldn't have possibly really liked her, but his response to his superior was slow.  
"Levi?" His superior asked, slowly.  
"Ah, yes sir, I can do this mission." Levi said with a clenched jaw and balled fists at his side. This was just work after all.

**Ahh, coming up with the final story to Anti Reality is hard, I keep ending up writing these ones. Please review if you're not too busy :)**


	9. Replacement?

Chapter 8  
Replacement?

Hanji was overwhelmed with joy as she walked back to the teashop arms linked with Erwin as she eagerly invited him to her teashop to have a cup of tea. He merely laughed as she led the way and she couldn't help but smile back. It had been so long since she'd seen someone she knew from the old days other than Levi and things between her and Levi were a little strange now. Having a new friendly face around would be great!  
"Taadaaaa! Here's my teashop!" Hanji exclaimed flinging out her free arm towards the building.  
Erwin looked up at the grand, ever so slightly run down, vine covered castle like building with a brief look of shock before smiling down at Hanji, "It looks like the kind of place you'd buy. It has a lot of character, a lot like you."  
"Hah! Is that a compliment?" she laughed. She couldn't help but laugh, she'd never seen Erwin's face so peaceful, so content. Seeing him smile like that was a reminder of how much the world around them changed for the better, it made her smile too.  
"It is." he laughed lightly, but their happy moment ended as they both realized they were vein watched. Hanji turned to look in the shop glass to see 4 sets of glaring eyes. Her two employees, Ben and Levi all stood there at the glass glaring out at Erwin and herself.  
"Ehhh…." Hanji gaped as she caught them. She was pretty sure Levi was just angry with her for their little almost make out session the other day, but why was everyone else glaring?  
"Is that Levi?" Erwin asked shock clear on his face as he squinted and walked closer to the glass, "Even in a time of peace he still scowls." Erwin chuckled , "Whoa." Erwin exclaimed as he noticed the other eyes staring out at them, "Looks like a lot of people were eager for your return." Erwin flashed her an amused smile as he turned to look back at her.  
"I don't know why they're not working…." Hanji mumbled, "Well, let's go in then, I'll make you some tea! I might be a little busy, but you and Levi can catch up and you can meet the others, we can catch up later if you want." She smiled brightly, but her smile faded as Levi tapped on the glass giving her an annoyed glare, she glared back and Erwin laughed again.  
"That sounds fine."

Levi watched as Erwin and Hanji walked in arm in arm and irritation washed over him for some reason.  
"Levi." Erwin smiled gently standing in front of him.  
"Erwin." Levi replied sternly.  
"It's been awhile." Erwin smiled deeper, his arm unhooking from Hanji's as he moved to pull Levi into a friendly hug. Levi kinda got jerked into the hug, unsure what else he could do. Hug him back? No, Erwin was too tall, Levi was getting smothered by his chest… Levi opted to just bitterly stand perfectly still and wait for him to let go which Erwin did pretty quickly.  
"This is a very nice building you have Hanji." Erwin went on, turning from Levi's stern face to look around the teashop.  
"I know." Hanji smirked mischeviously and Levi watched them both laugh with disgust. They were so chummy it was annoying.  
"Don't you have to get to work, there are customers here." Levi reminded Hanji.  
"So then why are we all standing here?" She stood up straight, "I'll go make you some tea Erwin." she said, her hand rest in on his arm lightly as she guided him to a table.  
Levi stood near the window, feeling.. strange. Had she forgotten the night before? He knew he said they could forget it, but geez he was still a bit uncomfortable about it, was he so unimportant to her that it didn't even bother her at all? Or was Erwin so important that she forgot the night before already? Levi's hands clenched at his side as he got angry, about getting angry over something that didn't even matter. It was his job to help the Erwin and Hanji get together right? So why was he even upset? It's not like he had feelings for her or anything. Was he worried that she was upset with him because of the night before? But she was just work, he shouldn't have cared if she disliked him.  
"Think we should kick him out?" A voice behind Levi whispered pulling him from his own thoughts.  
"What?" Levi asked dryly.  
"I said," Ben whispered again, "That blonde guy, you think we should kick him out?" his eyes shifted around the room as he spoke at a barely hushed tone.  
"Why should we do that?" Levi asked, though he was kind of thinking it might have been a good idea, he respected Erwin and all, but having him here was weird.  
"Tch," Ben scoffed, "I don't like him. Technically this is still my building, we can kick him out, but if I'm gonna do this, I'll need your help to drag him out, he's too strong for me. I'll be the brain, you be the brawn." Ben went on.  
"You're more devious then I thought old man." Levi smirked despite himself, "It's my job to get these two in a romantic situation. Kicking him out might ruin that don't you think?"  
Levi watched as Ben's jaw dropped before he shook his head, "I can't believe you'd do that, trying to give off Miss Hanji like that, I'm ashamed in you Levi." he shook his head and Levi scoffed, as if he cared about Ben's approval, "I have to go." Ben muttered before leaving, but Levi had already turned away from him.  
His eyes were fixed on Hanji and Erwin again as she scurried around him bringing him tray after tray of tea and smiling as she did it with this big stupid grin that Levi was used to seeing by now. This was good for his job, they seemed to be getting along well…. So then why was Levi feeling so agitated.

"This tea is delicious," Erwin smirked as he gazed up at Hanji. Hanji laughed as she looked down at him. Even though they'd only met up earlier that day, it felt like Erwin had never left by the way he spoke.  
"Isn't it?" Hanji smirked placing down a cup of tea across from Erwin, " I went all around the markets looking for something this good, I'm glad I found it. I think it's Levi's favorite so I'll leave this one for hi-" Hanji's sentence cut off as she looked up to where Levi had just been standing in time to see him walking up the stairs.  
"I see Levi's the same." Erwin smirked, following her gaze.  
"Haha… Yeah, I think so." Hanji smiled less enthusiastically now. Was Levi angry with her really? They'd agreed not to think about the other night and she was holding up her end of the deal, so why did it feel like he was avoiding her?  
"Hanji?" Erwin asked calling here back to reality, he trailed off and Hanji stared at him cluelessly "Never mind I don't think that would happen." Erwin smiled gently as Hanji still stood there with no clue what he was talking about.  
"Hmm?"  
"Nothing, I was just wondering if after work, you had some time, I'd like to speak with you some more on a certain matter." Erwin said placing his teacup down and looking her square in the eye, his blue eyes burning into her in a way that made her squirm a little.  
"All right." She smiled.

The day passed pretty quickly, Levi had a pile of paperwork sitting on his desk that was meant to be finished for the next day, but it was still sitting there unfinished. He couldn't get any of his work done thinking what Hanji and Erwin were downstairs chatting and whatnot. She usually would've brought him a cup of tea by now or something and chatted over some meaningless drive, was she mad at him for the other night? Ah what did it matter anyways? she was just Shitty Four Eyes anyway and it was his job to get them together. He scowled as he sat back on the daybed by his window to look out at what was now the nighttime streets. He wasn't upset because he cared who she liked or anything, sure the other night she seemed really attractive, but he was drunk that didn't count, every time he made a move on her he was drunk, he didn't like her, he was just upset that he hadn't gotten any tea today, he convinced himself. Down on the street scattered couples walk on the streets on the way to their homes, Levi watched them, his heart feeling heavy again as his thoughts wandered to Petra. If it wasn't for Levi not paying attention, she'd still be there, that would be them. Even if it was more than just drunken encounters with Hanji, he still couldn't forget Petra. He never would.  
Footsteps on the stairs now and two familiar voices laughing with one another, pulled Levi from his thoughts. It was Erwin and Hanji. He could hear them walking down the hall now, and then the door to her bedroom shut. Every hair on the back of Levi's hair shot up. "What the hell, I thought she'd at least play a little hard to get with him! Is she that naive to let any man into her room? Is she drunk again?" Levi asked suddenly on his feet pacing the room.  
Minutes felt like hours as Levi waited for the sound of the door to her room to opening again, "Just what are they doing?" he growled, before deciding to take matters into his own hands. He tried to reason that she might be in trouble, maybe she choked and Erwin couldn't save her because he was missing his other arm. It was a stretch, but still it was enough for him.  
He was halfway to his office door before he heard her bedroom door open and her laugh drift down the hallway, he heard his name and he immediately went to sit by his desk and at least try to look like he was busy with paperwork.  
"Levi?" Her voice rang through by the other side of the door.  
"What?" He asked gruffly, before the words were even fully out of his mouth she was opening the door.  
"Are you going to be here long?" She asked bluntly.  
"Why?" he was about to ask if this was about the night before and assure her that there was no need to feel uncomfortable about him being here, that he would act like nothing happened, but before he could, she was already speaking.  
"Well you see Erwin is staying at the inn up the street and I feel bad, I mean we were all so close before so I was going to offer him the guest room down the hall, but it's empty now, so I thought for tonight he could sleep in your office and then tomorrow we can go get furnishings for the guest room." she rambled. Levi felt his mouth hang open for a moment, but he promptly closed it. She was trying to kick him out of his office… for Erwin?  
"It's fine since you have your own room in the fortress right?" she went on, undeterred by his silence, "You're okay with that right?" She asked smiling and wide eyed.  
Levi wasn't sure what to say. He knew he shouldn't have cared what she did with the office, but he did. It was her building, but it was his office, it was the first place someone had made for him out of kindness and she was just handing it out so easily? He had planned on staying at the fortress tonight anyways, he planned to leave as soon as Erwin did, but the thought of leaving her and Erwin here alone bothered him, the thought of having Erwin in his custom office… bothered him, the fact that he was bothered, bothered him.  
"Levi, what's that face you're making?" Hanji asked lightly, trying to process the blank yet slightly twisted look on his face.  
"Nothing." Levi said pulling his face together, wondering how exactly to reply. He looked at her excited face and wasn't sure what to say next, "Is this because of the other night? Do you want me to leave because you feel uncomfortable? I do apologize for-" he started simply, but the small smile on her face stopped him.  
"I thought we said not to talk about it." She replied, her eyes wide "I was gonna act like nothing happened. I mean it's just like before again right? I guess we were just confused lately, we have been drinking more than we usually do, I wonder if that's why." She pondered thoughtfully, "Anyway, there's nothing between us right? I'm just your job, so we may as well make this as painless as possible while the situation is like this."  
Levi gaped at her. She'd said everything he was going to tell her about the night before. The twisted feeling in his stomach eased as he realized they were on the same page. There was no real attraction between them, just alcohol.  
"But back to the Erwin thing, he can stay here right?" She asked, looking up at him with two big hopeful brown eyes. The knots in his stomach were back. In his mind he said no a million times. There was no way he would let Erwin stay here, but then she spoke again as if sensing his hesitation, "Unless you were planning to use this room, then I guess Erwin and I can share." She mumbled scratching her chin.  
"He can stay here." Levi grumbled standing from his desk quickly. He saw Hanji cheer but it barely registered as he realized he'd stood too quickly. Hanji's shenanigans had been affecting his sleep lately, he'd woken up early this morning, had forgotten to eat, and the alcohol from the other day made him dehydrated. It wasn't like him to be so forgetful with his self mantainance… Shitty Glasses was rubbing off on him.  
"Are you okay?" Hanji asked the cheer she'd just let out now forgotten as she saw the pale look on Levi's face.  
"I'm fine." He replied straightening up, "Just a bit tired, once I get back to the fortress and finish my paperwork, I'll rest." He went on, gathering his papers. "What?" He asked irritably as he caught Hanji frowning.  
"You hate stuff like this, that's why you stayed with the Survey Corps all those years ago, right?"  
He froze and slowly rose his eyes to land on her pouting face, "Perhaps." he grunted. She was right that he hated desk work, she was right that was why he stayed with the Survey Corps, but it was annoying that she could see right through him when he couldn't figure out what was buzzing through her 90 mile an hour brain.  
"I'm just saying Sorry for worrying about a friend!" She laughed holding up her hands before strolling out of the door as easily as she walked in.  
Though the words came easily from her mouth, they hit him like a brink, "Friend?" He grumbled, collecting his papers, is that what they were now? Friends? He couldn't deny they got along differntly than before, but was that 'friendship'?. He sighed, wishing more and more that it wasn't his job to look after her. For a moment he was totally still, wondering if she was going back to talk with Erwin. It seemed he'd only been back a day and Erwin was already replacing him. She usually brought Levi tea at the end of the day, she'd come talk with him, she'd do stupid little things that made him think she wasn't so bad, but today it seemed that Erwin was the receiver of those gestures. Was this how it would be now if she and Erwin did enter a romantic relationship? Sure it made his job easier, but… Levi hesitated to admit it, but Hanji was the closest thing he had to a friend and the prospect of losing that was irritating him, though he knew he'd get over it. With a sigh, he left the room. Whatever would be, would be, his life would move on. He'd lost people in worse ways after all.

Levi was already on his horse about to ride away, still feeling a little dizzy when he heard his name being called.  
"Oiiiiii! Shortyyyy!" Hanji yelled out.  
Levi's energy level came back up again as he turned around with fury in his eyes. He usually didn't care one way or the other about the nickname, but he was tired and hungry and after his revelation about thinking of her as a friend he was about to lose, she was the last person he wanted to see. It also didn't help that the few people out on a city night stroll chuckled at her old nickname for him.  
"The hell do you want?"  
"I… Made you this to take." She panted leaning over as she caught her breath, "Don't over do it, just eat this and go to sleep so you can grow up big and strong." she smirked breathlessly holding up a small basket to him.  
"Tch!" He scoffed snatching the basket from her hands, "You too. Just go to sleep, don't stay up all night talking Erwin's ear off or stalk him all the way to the bathroom spewing your bullshit like you do with me." he grumbled, if it was his job to make sure she was gonna have a chance with Erwin, he felt she should at least not do those things.  
Hanji looked up at Levi as he glared down at her with his usual serious face and blinked twice before letting out a loud laugh, what was he talking about? "You're the only one I do that stuff too, Shorty. You think I'd talk to Erwin like that? Even I know he has more class than you, so I speak to him differently." she explained clapping her hands together. Levi blinked at her without saying a word and she flew into a laughing fit, she could tell he wasn't sure if she was insulting or complimenting him, but she wasn't doing either really, "You're just easier to talk with, because you're so weird, I guess that's why we're friends." she sighed, pulling herself together and wiping a tear from laughter from her eye before looking up at him with a friendly smile.  
"Uh… huh." he replied slowly, but that was it, hearing someone call him a friend was strange so he did the only thing he could think to do, he spurred the horse on and was suddenly gone, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. She choked as she watched him disappear around a corner and chuckled again, she was sure he'd done that on purpose. Ah well, she shrugged as she realized that was just their friendship, the kind that even if neither of them dared to admit, it just existed whether they liked it or not. How could she have mistaken their friendship for romantic feelings?! Geez that would have been a mistake.

It hadn't taken long for Levi to get back to the fortress and get back to his room. He sat down on his bed after taking a shower and sighed rubbing his tried eyes absently. He still had work to do. His eyes fell on the basket Hanji had given him with mild interest. "Easy to talk to, huh?" He let out one light chuckle, "That's the first time I've heard that, but what could I expect from that Shitty Specs." he found himself reaching out to grab the basket now. What he would find in there, he wasn't sure of, but once he opened it and found a meal of some steamed vegetables, a boiled egg, steamed rice and a container of tea, he was frozen in shock as his eyes went wide. There was no note, no explanation for why she'd made this, he knew it was simple because she couldn't really cook, but the thought was there. Maybe he wasn't losing a 'friend' after all. He thought with a smile that he would never admit was there. But then he took a bite of the rice and heard a loud crunch as he bit down on the gravel like rice. His teeth hurt, he'd kill her. Maybe he would be losing a 'friend' after all.

**Please review if you don't mind :) hah... passively jealous Levi.**


	10. Something Important

**Chapter 9**  
** Ahh, I don't know what to put in this chapter! I'm hoping typing this might inspire something!… It's not! But I'll keep it here anyway!…**

"I hope he's awake." Hanji murmured as she stood outside of the door to Levi's office with a tray of tea and some toast with honey. She remembered he used to enjoy eating it when he could back in the army days, she could only hope he still liked it now, "Knock knock!" She sang tapping her knuckles lightly to the wood of the door.  
"Come in." he called from the other side of the door. For some reason Hanji jumped at the sound of his voice, sure she expected his reply and all, but it was still odd hearing his voice again after so long. Erwin had left the city once the titans were gone, he claimed his goal was complete now that the old government was destroyed and the titans were gone, he told the others he wanted to go see the outside world and the next day he was just gone. After that she'd been too buried in her research to really think about it, but she realized now she kind of missed Erwin being around, he always patiently listened to her ideas, unlike some people who always interrupted with talk about baths and frequent meals, tch!  
"Good morning." Hanji sung as she swung the door open, but she nearly walked right back out as she saw the view in front of her. Erwin sat on the daybed with his shirt ruffled and only half buttoned up, his hair that she was so used to seeing combed back hung loosely around his face, and he stared up at her with a gentle yet slightly confused expression.  
"Something wrong?" He asked casually as he went on trying to button up his shirt.  
"No!" Hanji replied quickly, "I just uh, if you need some privacy I could come back later." She stammered turning to look away from him. His exposed chest wasn't embarrassing, seeing him so casual, seeing him struggling to button up his shirt with his remaining arm, it made the man she once thought of as an unbreakable force seem so human, and seeing him that way felt like it was something she shouldn't do.  
"It's fine Hanji." He gave her the broad smile that she was realizing he'd acquired in his time away from the city. It was an awkward, kind, lopsided kind of smile that made you want to smile if you saw it. It was the smile of a man who wasn't used to smiling, but still smiled from the heart.  
"Okay." Hanji replied, placing the tea tray down with a smile. Though she'd wanted to keep her eyes on the tray, they found themselves wandering over to Erwin as he pressed his shirt to his body, his fingers fumbling with the buttons as he stared intently at them, his thick eyebrows knit in concentration.  
"Ahh." Erwin huffed, dropping the buttons in mild frustration, "You'd think I'd stop wearing button ups." he laughed lightly as he looked up at Hanji, "Is this for me?" He asked looking at the tray.  
"Hmm? Oh yeah!" Hanji piped up, "This was a thanks for helping me the other day for helping me make the boiled eggs and vegetables for Levi the other day. It's not much, but I think I remember you liking this."  
"You remembered well." his lips pulled up into a smile as he reached down and took a bite of the toast. Hanji's eyes were still on the halfway done buttons on his shirt and the hanging sleeve where his arm once was. Times like this she felt useless all over again. She wished she would have been able to figure out the titans long before they vanished, before Erwin lost his arm, before anyone had to get hurt, but she didn't and they vanished on their own and she'd done nothing to help it. Tea and toast was not enough to button his shirt and it made her angry that she couldn't do anything more for the people she cared about than tea and food that she knew wasn't even that great. It bothered her so much.  
"I can get your shirt for you if you want." She said somberly. Erwin looked up from the toast, his forehead wrinkled in shock as his eyebrows lifted.  
"You don't have to pity me." He sighed with a solemn frown, "I've lived beyond this wall a long time. It's wild out there, if I can live in those wilds, I think I can button a shirt." He replied with a bitter smile.  
"I believe you, Erwin, I didn't mean to offend you. I know you can do anything you set your mind to." she replied straightforwardly. He was Erwin, she knew how strong he was more than most people. Hanji kept her eyes steady on his and he stared back his eyes just as intense as he stared back, searching her face, but then his face softened, his lips pulled into a smile once again.  
"Ahh, I see. If you're going to make that face then I guess I should let you help." He smiled again and her mood lifted. "Huh? What face?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.  
"It's the sort of face you shouldn't make when we've been given a second chance at life." he replied sitting back, "So this time, just this time, I'll let you button the shirt."  
"I wasn't trying to make a face, besides I have a second chance at life, I can make any face I want now." She laughed jovially as she walked over to the daybed where he sat to help button his shirt. She kneeled down between his legs to get a better view of the buttons of the shirt, but was careful about not getting kneed in the face.  
"I suppose, but I didn't come all the way here to see you look at me with that serious face you just pulled." He laughed gently. Hanji snorted a laugh as she reached up to hold the buttons in her fingers.  
"I doubt you came to see me at all." She smiled as she spoke. One button was done, she moved up to the next one near the bottom of his ribcage.  
"Why doubt that?" his tone changed from joking to serious, but Hanji had no idea why.  
"Because I'm only me, it's not like I changed or anything." She chuckled, her eyes foxed on the buttons, her hands moved up to the bottom near his chest, but before she could finish buttoning it, both of her hands were scooped up into the rough warmth of his hand.  
"I was counting on you not changing. That's part of why I returned, Hanji, I had something to ask you, something I probably should have thought to ask before leaving for two years." As he spoke the blood drained from her face and her head spun as she looked dumbly up at his sincere expression. What exactly was going on?  
Then she heard the door creek behind her...

Levi entered the teashop with a deep scowl and watched the two young guards that worked for Hanji scramble around like cockroaches as they saw him, "Where's Hanji?" He asked gruffly as they pointed wordlessly up the stairs. He was going to kill Hanji. The night before she'd cooked him some 'food' but when he went to take one bite of the rice, he nearly lost all of his teeth, well that and his boss had some invitation for her that he wanted Levi to give her, but his main focus was the murderous rice. She had to pay. He went up the stairs with a scowl on his face, but as he got to the top of the stairs, he saw her standing at the door to his office with a tray with this nervous look on her face. If she thought leaving some tea on his desk was going to make up for that rice she cooked, she was sorely mistaken. He was about to call after her to come over and accept her punishment, but she knocked on the door and entered the room before he could.  
"Stupid shitty glasses." he grumbled, walking over to the door that she'd left slightly open, he was about to walk in, but he heard a voice that wasn't hers in the room. "Hmm, that's right Erwin was sleeping here." Levi mumbled to himself. He respected Erwin enough to at least wait until Hanji left the room to warn her about further attempts on his life, but then he heard his name in conversation…. Erwin helped with the dinner as well? No wonder the vegetables looked edible… Still after he'd tasted the rice, he'd trashed everything but the tea. He was about to walk away when he heard Hanji speak again, something about a shirt? Her tone was soft, gentle, a tone he'd only heard a few times over the last few weeks, usually when she said something that confused him about her. He could hear her moving around the room now, he could hear Erwin speaking, in a tone he never heard Erwin speak in before. Levi wanted to walk away from the door right that moment, but he couldn't, he wasn't sure what was going on in there, he could only catch a few words spoken in nearly hushed tones, he knew he shouldn't have even cared what they were talking about, but the second he finally caught a sentence it was Erwin saying "I was counting on you not changing. That's part of why I returned, Hanji." Without thinking Levi opened the door and walked in.  
The second his eyes fell on Hanji knelt down between Erwin's open legs, her hand on his shirt, his hand over hers, he got a pretty good idea of what was going on. "Ah." he said nonchalantly. His response came far more calmly than he felt. It took quite a bit for him to resist the urge to drag Hanji out of the room right then, but he managed.  
"Levi?" Hanji yelled jumping up to her feet, and cocking her head to the side, "What are you doing here?".  
"I see I'm interrupting. Carry on then." Levi said calmly staring blankly at them before turning and leaving the room. He could hear Hanji calling after him. He didn't know what he had been expecting to see. He shouldn't have opened the door, his chest felt heavy, he needed to calm down...

"Levi?" Hanji called as she watched him leave the room. Did he seem.. disturbed? For a moment she pondered it, but then she realized what it must have looked like she and Erwin were doing from where he stood and her face felt hot. She was sure anyone walking in the room would have misunderstood what they'd just seen. Usually things like that didn't bother her, but somehow this did. Having Levi see her like that would be strange, especially since she'd used him in the past, she didn't want him to think she was some crazy person who slept with all their friends! She just wanted to be seen as a normal crazy person…  
She spun around to look at Erwin with a lopsided frown, while he watched her with a steady and slightly shocked gaze, "You can go find him if you want, I can get the last button." he said, his face melting back into that warm smile.  
"Okay, I just don't want him to misunderstand is all." she chuckled.  
"Is it bad if he misunderstands?" Erwin asked. She had a dull feeling that there was more to this question than it seemed, but her response came before she could think about it.  
"Well of course there's something wrong with that!" she blurted, "I'm Hanji, you're Erwin, he's Levi." she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Erwin stared at her with a patient look that she'd learned a long time ago meant he had no idea what she was talking about and he was waiting for her to elaborate, "Look." she sighed, "If he thinks we're together then it will be Hanji and Erwin, what will happen to Levi? Without you or me around, who could keep that little Shorty in check?" she said it as if it was the most simple thing in the world.  
"Ah I see. The dynamic would be ruined." he smirked, "You should go find him then." "Exactly!" Hanji exclaimed now running for the door, "LEVI WAIT UP!"  
Erwin smiled as he watched her run from the room and looked down at the last button she hadn't done, "I would ask what would happen if it was Hanji and Levi, but I think I already know the answer, they have certainly grown close."

The sound of something tumbling down the stairs pulled Levi's attention from his cup of tea he was preparing at the counter downstairs. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked calmly as he looked up to see Hanji in a pile at the bottom of the stairs.  
"I fell." she replied jumping to her feet, "Hey! I know you heard me calling you when I came running here, shouldn't you at least pretend to be a little more worried about the fact that I fell down the stairs." she huffed as she marched over to him.  
"No, I know you're fine." He replied cooly sipping his tea. He'd seen her do worse anyway there was no way that little tumble hurt her. Besides, walking in on her and Erwin like that made him feel a bit strange, then again, he supposed walking in on a friend doing something like that would make anyone feel strange… "Still! After all the trouble I went through to make you dinner too, you could at least look a little worried." Hanji pouted.  
"Dinner?" he felt something snap within him at the mention of that, "That gravel you tried to feed me? I almost lost a tooth on your dammed rice!" he yelled, plucking her on the head.  
"Oi!" She yelled, her hand zooming to her forehead.  
"'Oi' my ass… Just go upstairs and continue what you and Erwin were doing and spare me." He replied, his voice more harsh than he intended.  
"I was just helping him button his shirt is all." she smiled but he merely scoffed. It was strange seeing Levi all pouty like that. Was he angry because she was better at making friends than he was?  
"I don't care."  
"Then why'd you bring it up?" she asked circling around his back to stand on the other side of him, but he didn't reply, "Look, it's like the old days again." she enthused with a huge smile, "Erwin is here, you're here, I'm here! We always helped each other out in the past, how is it different now?"  
"Erwin was away for a little over two years. Things change in that time." he replied, tiredly. Though he respected Erwin, and always would, Erwin's departure had been surprisingly hard for Levi and Hanji, it was a silent fact that they both knew and never said aloud. Erwin was such a huge part of their lives for so many years that the sudden departure of rules, expectations, structure, and of Erwin left them a little bit lost and they both independently drowned themselves into their work. Hanji poured her very being into her research, and now this shop while Levi put all of energy into his new job, but both of them were just going through the motions really… there was no heart in the past two years of their work, he knew it, even if she didn't yet… Did she think Erwin returning would make it all better? He certainly did not.  
"Who says they haven't changed for the better?" Hanji asked, Erwin's newly found gentle smile playing in her mind. Two years ago seeing that smile would have been impossible.  
"I never said things haven't changed for the better." Levi replied, his friendship with Hanji, as odd as it was, and as much as he hated admitting to it, he valued it, Erwin could very well take her from the city and he'd most likely never see her again. It shouldn't bother him, yet it did. How could he explain something that made no sense to him, to Hanji?  
"So if things changed for the better then what's the problem?" Hanji was totally confused now. Levi was about to answer, but he looked up and saw Erwin standing at the stairs, his shirt buttoned, his coat on and a curious look on his face as he arrived at the bottom of the staircase. Levi wanted to ask her if he thought another change would really make things better, or make them worse, but his words were lost as he realized it didn't matter. He was just going to make sure his friend was happy and safe, whether she or himself liked it or not.  
"Nothing I suppose." Levi rubbed his temples.  
"Good morning, Levi." Erwin called with a smile. Levi saw it in that smile, Erwin had indeed changed, he seemed less burdened than he remembered, life behind the wall must've been treating him well.  
"Erwin." Levi nodded his head. Hanji looked between the two, her face lit up in excitement to see the two of them finally get a chance to talk.  
"What have you been busying yourself with these last few years?" Erwin asked, walking to stand near them.  
"Taking care of this abnormal creature." Levi replied nonchalantly as he nodded in the direction of a now pouting Hanji, "How's the outside world? I hear the colonies are rough." Levi asked. He wasn't asking to be polite, he was genuinely curious. He really did hate the desk work, especially when the world he'd worked so hard to free of titans was right outside of these damned walls, but he couldn't leave yet, he had an obligation to his job and to Hanji. Though, he figured if she wanted to stay with Erwin, he couldn't really do much, and he'd leave the walls and move to live in one of the many colonies. Maybe in the colonies he could change the government more actively and spend less time behind a desk.  
"It is tough, but it is liberating. The village I've been living in is flourishing. A lot of people we used to work with moved out there, which brought along a lot of commoners who felt safest being protected by ex-Souting Corps members." Erwin laughed, but his laugh was shallow. They all knew how ironic it was that not so long ago, people hated the Survey Corps.  
"So what brought you here?" Levi asked trying to keep on topic, "Sounds like you really like it there, so why come back here?"  
"There were a few matters." Erwin replied looking over to Hanji. Levi also turned his own eyes on Hanji who looked between the two of them blinking cluelessly.  
"Ah, I see." Levi replied, turning back to focus on his tea. Hanji was his friend, he knew seeing his friend's new relationship shouldn't bother him, but Erwin's mushiness was about to make him barf, Levi just wanted to get out of here. "Well, I really just came here to deliver this." Levi dug in his pocket and pull out two meticulously folded invitations. He pretty much already knew beforehand that Erwin was here to find Hanji, he really didn't want to hear why. The other thing he'd brought for Hanji brushed his fingertips in his pocket, but he decided that now wasn't the moment to give that to her.  
"What's this?" Hanji asked snatching the tickets from his hands.  
"You're wrinkling them." Levi cringed as he watched the perfectly folded paper be ruined by Hanji.  
"Ooooohhh an invitation, to a ball?" She sang as she read it, "Wow, seems fancy."  
"It is. You'll have to wash your hair and lose the shitty glasses to go." Levi went on, sipping his tea again.  
"Pfft!" Hanji laughed handing the tickets back to Levi, "I said it was fancy no that I want to go."  
"I was ordered to hand you the tickets and made sure you came." he replied, pulling her forward by her jacket, opening it and placing the ticket in her breast pocket. He held the other ticket to Erwin who took it before inspecting it.  
"I can't go!" Hanji insisted, shoving the ticket back at him, "It's in two days! I have a business to run and I'm not really fit for that kind of stuff you know that." She scratched at an itchy spot on her head and Levi watched in disgust as white flakes fell from her head and lightly dusted her shoulder.  
"Stop." Levi scoffed, slapping her hand from her head, ignoring her whining, "I can't believe I've been drinking the tea you make. When's the last time you showered?" he nearly gagged as he wondered how much dandruff the people coming to this shop might have ingested.  
"Ahh, not lately." She sighed leaning back on the counter and tossing her head back in irritation, "I'm too busy keeping this place in order! That's why I can't go to this stupid ball And besides, I wouldn't fit in." She snorted.  
"It can't be so bad, I'm sure the staff will be able to manage when left the proper instructions." Erwin interjected. The two of them had nearly forgotten Erwin was still there as the bickered. At the sound of Erwin's voice Hanji lost the wind in her sails and Levi calmed as well.  
"Well maybe not, but you guys know me, I'm Hanji! I don't do things like this." She sighed looking down and twining her hands together in an almost shy manner. Levi could only stare at her in shock. She wasn't lying when she said she spoke differently with Erwin.  
"I do know you. You are Hanji, you can do anything. And you won't be alone, you'll be there with us." Erwin assured her his blue eyes smiling.  
"I won't be attending the party, I'm just doing security."Levi sipped his tea again, his eyes fixed straight ahead at the boxes of tea leaves behind the counter anything but looking at Hanji and Erwin.  
"Well then it's fine even if it's the two of us. It would be like a date." Erwin smiled, Hanji let out a loud awkward snort of a laugh and Levi nearly spit out his tea. Hanji on a date with Erwin? The idea was laughable, yet laughing was the last thing he wanted to do for some reason.  
"Oi! Is it so shocking that you spit out your tea?" Hanji asked abandoning her own laughter to turn and glare at him. She couldn't imagine herself on a date and she just knew that Levi was thinking the same thing, but he didn't have to react like that.  
"Nothing." Levi regained his composure as he drank the last of his tea, "You guys do whatever you want, but I'll pick you up the day before the ball to take you back to the fortress. They said they had to do fittings for a dress or something." He pulled on his jacket as he spoke.  
"You're leaving already?" Hanji asked her eyes wide as she cocked her head to the side. Levi looked at her a moment, she looked like a puppy when she did that. He found himself thinking it was cute, but he quickly remembered the oily hair and lack of hygiene and the overall Hanji and erased that thought and even cringed a bit. "Erwin is here, I will take advantage of today to get some work done without worrying about you getting yourself kidnapped."  
"Fine, fine, I'll see you tomorrow then. Erwin and I have to go get stuff for the guest room anyway." She sighed locking her arm around Erwin's.  
"You ready, Erwin?" She asked sounding chipper.  
"Yes." Erwin smiled down at her and Levi stood before them with a semi disgusted look on his face. They already acted like a couple without trying, it was gross. Even though he thought it was gross a little voice in the back of his mind reminded him that only a little while ago, he'd been the one going around with Hanji and enjoying it. He shrugged, perhaps it was just in her nature to be overly chummy.  
"I'll stay behind and clean up my dishes. I'll tell the staff you went out too." Levi sighed.  
"Okay then, see you tomorrow, Levi." Erwin smiled as the two of them left the store.  
Levi watched them go, he could hear Hanji excitedly telling Erwin about the old lady who called Levi a tease in the market until they were well out of sight. His stomach felt a bit ill settled suddenly and he sat down heaving out a sigh and closing his eyes a moment. Why was this all so irritating? Friendship had never been something he was good with, but had it always been so confusing in the past?. Ahh well, what could he do? Levi let out an annoyed sigh that he was even thinking about this so much and dug in his pocket before placing the other thing he'd brought for Hanji on the counter along with another note he'd written that morning.  
"You fool." A voice ground out from the background, Levi turned around to see Ben standing at the back of the teashop towards the basement. Had he been listening to them the whole time? He really was a creepy old man.  
"Not now, Ben." Levi grunted.  
"No, no, no, I've been watching over you and Hanji these past few weeks quietly, hoping the dresses and being around each other would make you realize your feelings for each other, and I was waiting to watch you two flourish but I see you're gonna muck it up, so this time I'll say something." Levi's eyebrows lifted a bit as Ben took on a stern tone. Ben was trying to get him with Hanji?  
"If it's not pressing I have better things to do." Levi replied. He would have listened to Ben, he was actually curious what he felt so fired up to say, but he wanted to see if Ben was fired up enough to stop him. Levi started walking to the door, but Ben ran across the room and blocked the door, "Fast for an old man." Levi remarked offhandedly.  
"Look.", Ben starting, his kind eyes angry, "Why are you letting that blonde guy waltz in and take Miss Hanji away? He came here to find her he said? Sure she's not responding to that crap now, but she will if he keeps dropping lines like that! If you like her you have to hold on or she'll run off!"  
"She's merely an old workmate, we get along. That's all."  
"Oh, spare me." Ben rolled his eyes, "I see the way you look at her all of the time. You can't keep your eyes off of her!" Ben yelled, throwing his arms up, but Levi only sighed.  
"The moment I look away from her, she finds herself in trouble. It's easier just to keep an eye on her."  
"Do you worry about all of your workmates so much?" Ben insisted, his brows raised in skepticism.  
"Yes." Levi replied. He did care about all of his old workmates so much. They kept him safe, he returned the favor, they were infinitely important to him, even those who fell he carried their memory with him. Though he'd never been good at expressing how much he'd cared he always cared… and he usually cared too much. Losing Petra had driven him to pushing everyone away, to being more harsh than he'd meant to, but he still cared too much for his own good.  
"You care about that Blonde guy the same way you care about Miss Hanji?" Ben challenged, Levi's eyes went wide. He did care about Erwin, yes, but it was different with Hanji. Erwin was capable of taking care of himself, remembering baths and meals and all that, Hanji wasn't so much… Erwin was hard on himself as well, but he never forgot about himself or totally neglected himself, Hanji on the other hand…  
"She's a fri-"  
"You hesitated, you know your job isn't the only reason. You like her…. More than as a workmate, more than a friend." Ben accused, shoving his thin aged finger into Levi's chest. Levi scoffed, brushing Ben'd hand away. Ben knew nothing. Ben didn't know how much guilt Levi carried everyday, how much he barely deserved to have Hanji as a friend! For Ben to talk like he knew, was really annoying.  
"Are you done?" Levi asked dryly, and Ben let out an exasperated sigh.  
"I used to be like you. Walking around, acting cool, stoic, out of touch with my own damn feelings," Ben yelled, "but then I met my wife, she was a mad woman and I loved her for it. It took me nearly losing her to another man for me to realize I couldn't just let her go. You and Hanji both lived in the age of the titans, hell you fought them! You should know how important it is to hold onto someone important." Levi felt a dark expression cross his face as Ben's words reminded him of Petra, "Are you going to just let someone important waltz out of your life?" he asked desperately, his hand on either of Levi's shoulders. Ben was searching his eyes, for something, but his hands loosened on Levi's shoulders, clearly not seeing whatever he was looking for there. Maybe he was looking for humanity, for normality, for a heart, if that's what it was, no wonder who looked so disappointed; Levi already knew he possessed none of those things. Ben seemed to think he and Levi were alike, perhaps he was right, perhaps if Levi hadn't seen and done the things he had in his lifetime, he might have been a bit like Ben. He would've had a simple life, a job, a family, and even when something took all of that away, he would be able to move forward in life peacefully, but Levi was not that fortunate. He was abnormal now, and perhaps that's why he disliked Ben so much from the start. Ben was the him he could never have been, could never be and would never be. He was a peaceful old man, and Levi could only be a raging storm that would never find calmness. Ben really knew nothing… Ben would never know the burden of having so much blood on his hands, and the burden of using a friend the way he used Hanji before. He couldn't repay his men for laying down their lives on his orders, but out of obligation, he could at least repay Hanji for how he'd wronged her, but whether she forgave him or not, whether she left with Erin or not, it didn't matter too much to him anymore, he'd help her, because it's not like he had anything else to lose, but her and his job at this point.  
"Will I let go of something I hold important? I never had to let go, it was all gone before I could even touch it." Levi replied gravely. Without another word, he pushed Ben aside gently and walked up the stairs, to his office, and locked the door behind him.

**Ben's not just a creepy old man! He's rooting for the Levihan! Levi is slowly starting to have to deal with these 'feelings' things, and Hanji is just beyond thrilled that Erwin's back… not so much about this ball though… Anyways, working on the next chapter soon, please review? It will make me smile a million smiles in one, which is quite impressive if I do say so myself.**  
**Please review, your comments make me a happy little writer :D**


	11. Talent

**Chapter 10**  
**Goddess**

**Hehe, So I got a few messages that people dislike the nature of the Levi I've created in this story, he is harsher towards Hanji than he should be, he hurt Hanji, he can't get over Petra and used her, he feels bad about it a lot, he's kinda bitter, but I've written him this way for a reason. Please have faith in me and read on, I won't let you dear readers down, it will be worth it, I promise.**  
I do not own SNK

"You sure have a lot of bags, Hanji." Erwin looked over at her with a skeptical glance as he took in her little balancing act of carrying her bags full of shop supplies. Hanji laughed, it could have been worse. They'd picked out the furniture and the woman who ran the stall was so taken by Erwin, that not only did they get everything for a fourth of the price but she'd sent for her son, just so that he could carry the stuff to Hanji's shop for them. It was pretty nice of the lady, sucked for her son though.  
"Hahaha, it takes a lot to run the shop!" Hanji laughed heartily as she struggled to keep a bag that was sliding down her arm up on her shoulder.  
"I can help yo-"  
"No! It's okay!" Hanji replied before he could finish speaking. She knew Erwin was capable, but asking the man who gave the orders that kept her alive up to now to carry some stupid bags felt wrong. Erwin's face didn't change expressions at all as he stared at her. It made her squirm, why was he looking at her like that?  
"If you insist." Erwin smiled a polite smile before taking his gaze off of her. Hanji let out a sigh as he did so. Having an important guest like Erwin was harder than looking after titans… Sure she enjoyed having Erwin around, but the last two days she'd been running around trying to make sure he was comfortable while he stayed as a small thanks for helping her out all of those years, but it was draining her energy to do that and look after the shop. To make matters worse, while Erwin was here, Levi who usually ended up helping her out, was scarce lately, so she really had to take on more work.  
"I just have a few more things to get and then we can go back." Hanji grunted, as she continued trying to hold tight to her ever falling bag. She spun around to walk towards the shop when-  
"Oi! It's the feisty girl from the bar!" A voice called as a large man with a large scar on his face walked towards her with a twisted smirk, "Where's Short Stack today?" he asked.  
Hanji stared dumbly at the man for a moment before it clicked who this man was. He was one of the men from the bar that Ben took Levi and herself to when they'd first opened the shop. Even though they flirted with her that night, by the end of it all, she left with the feeling that they were a lot like Levi, so even if they were a little rough around the edges, they weren't bad people. She smiled and opened her mouth to reply when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"Are these men bothering you?" A calm measured voice asked from behind her. Turning her head now, she saw Erwin behind her, his face void of all emotion, his body language indicating that he was ready to take action any moment, but she shook her head.  
"Oooh, you traded up from Short Stack? That's not very nice, you seemed so into him when you stood up on that barstool to defend him." One of the men joked, "But you traded up for a taller blonder model." he mumbled looking at Erwin whose only response was to look at Hanji with a twinge of disbelief in his eyes.  
"Short Stack?" He asked, blue eyes full of questions.  
"Ahhh! They mean Levi!" Hanji clapped her hands together, "That Shorty and I went to a bar and uhm, I got a little too drunk."  
"Oh man you should have seen her, like a goddess she was, that dress, her whole attitude, amazing!" the man laughed holding out his hand for a high-five, Hanji shrugged before smacking her hand against his. She'd never been called a goddess before, that was different, she'd accept it.  
"A goddess?" Erwin smirked, eyes wide and a smile playing on his lips as he took in the man's words.  
"Yeah! She was wild! Climbing on barstools, yelling defending her Short Stack and that dress, wow," the man nudged a thumb in Hanji's direction, "That was the most memorable night that bar has had in years."  
"I didn't know you had a side like that to you Hanji, it sounds very exciting, perhaps one day we should go drinking." Erwin looked at her, brows raised in a teasing manner, but it shook her. Was he asking her to go drinking with him? Somehow the idea of drinking with Erwin was far more intimidating than drinking with Levi, and another question, was Erwin joking with her? Both ideas were so shocking, her hand slipped and one of her bags fell, "Careful!" Erwin exclaimed, his hand shooting out to catch the bag before it hit the dirty market ground.  
"Oh, sorry." She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly with a small smile.  
"Let me help you." Erwin's voice was as gentle as his hands as he lifted some of her bags from her shoulders, "These are heavier than they look Hanji." Erwin commented frowning at her, "You carry this often?"  
"Sometimes." Hanji shrugged, "Usually Levi or one of the others who work at the shop helps me carry all of this but every now and then I carry them alone." The look of concern on Erwin's face was endlessly confusing to her. She'd carried far heavier things to her lab when they'd worked together alone, she'd done more dangerous things in the army under his orders, so why was he so worried about her carrying some furniture and supplies for the shop? "What?" She heard herself groan in response to his gaze.  
Erwin opened his mouth to answer, but as he eyes flickered over to the now very curious gazes of the men from the bar, he seemed to think better of it and shut his mouth again.  
"Oi! Don't get all quiet on our account, go on and talk Pretty Boy!" One of the men chortled.  
"Pretty boy?" Erwin exclaimed, looking quite shocked by his new nickname. It seemed like these guys quite liked nicknames, now that Hanji thought about it….  
"Yeah, Pretty Boy. That's what you are! You pretty much got the face, only your eyebrows kinda ruin it, I feel like they might attack me." The man shuddered as he stared up at Erwin's brows in terror, Erwin merely frowned in response, "Anyway, Short Stack is Short Stack, this lady here is a Goddess and you are now Pretty Boy." the man went on proudly.  
"Our names are-" Erwin started, but was quickly interrupted.  
"Ah! Your names are unimportant. With us, you have to accept our nicknames, right Goddess?" The men laughed heartily and Hanji joined in. Even when she was sober, she found their wholehearted laughter infectious, as she looked over at Erwin however she could tell he didn't share the same notion. Erwin stood upright and unamused as they laughed, and his rigidness killed the laughter pretty quickly.  
"Actually guys, we were on the way back to the teashop I own, you guys can come along if you like. I kind of remember inviting you before." she squinted her eyes as she thought back, she very vaguely remembered inviting them, but they seemed okay to her so she'd invite them again anyway. She expected them to say yes, but they shook their heads.  
"No, no! You two go on ahead, we'll drop by another day." one of the men laughed, eying Erwin as he spoke.  
"Oh.. Okay." Hanji shrugged, before turning to take off after Erwin who was already a few steps away.  
"But, Goddess?" One of the men called her back a moment, with Erwin now out of earshot, "You sure you like Pretty Boy over here more than Short Stack? Short tack seemed more your type." The man frowned scratching his con while his friends nodded behind him, "This guy is so stuffy."  
"Aww, come on, Erwin's not a bad guy if you give him a chance." Hanji smiled patting the man on the shoulder, "And besides they're both my friends, I like them equally."  
"Oh?" he man's brows shot up, "I thought for sure you were taken by Short Stack or Pretty Boy, but if that's not the case," the man licked the palm of his hand and smoothed back his hair, and Hanji early laughed thinking how Levi would have reacted if he'd seen that. She just knew he'd make that disgusted deadpan glare of his, "You wanna go on a date with me, Miss Goddess?"  
"I'm not really the dating type, but thanks anyway." She pat his arm with a smile before turning and walking off.  
"Ooohhh, the boss was rejected!" she heard one of the men call from behind her.  
"S-shut up! I'm not giving up so easily! You'll like me eventually Goddess! I'm not quitting on you yet!" The man yelled, but Hanji merely laughed and ran to catch up with Erwin who only seemed to realize that she was missing from his side when the man from before started yelling.  
"Ahh, sorry, was I walking to fast?" Erwin asked looking down at Hanji. His eyes flickered over to the men they'd just been speaking to with concern and back down at her, his eyes asking the silent question of 'Were they bothering you?'  
"Hah! You know I can keep up." She smirked walking a few steps ahead of him now. Her eyes were unite fixed on the path in front of them now, taking in the sights and sounds of the market with a smile. She loved the feeling of life and energy around her, it was proving to be quite addicting, she had no idea before these last few weeks that she could enjoy human companionship so much. She was deep in thought about why she'd never noticed how interesting people could be when she heard the deep throaty sound of Erwin's laugh close behind her, "What?" She asked turning around to meet Ewin's laughing blue eyes.  
"Nothing," Erwin smirked, moving his eyes from her to the path ahead, "I was just thinking how amazing you are."  
"Uhm," her feet stopped moving immediately as she jammed her pinky in her ear checking for extra wax because she was sure she'd misheard that, "Come again?" she stammered.  
"I said, you're amazing." Erwin had also stopped walking now, and turned to face her, "Everyone you've ever worked with adores you, finds you easy to talk with. It's an amazing talent." Erwin smiled so gently it made her want to reach out and touch that smile to see if it was real, but Hanji merely blinked up at him as he took a step closer to her, leaving only a few inches of space between them, "It's something very few people can possess." As he looked down at her, she froze in a panic, he was very close, his eyes felt like they were swallowing her, she was hyper aware that everyone was staring at them and it was making her feel a bit dizzy.  
"It's nothing." She laughed, somehow managing to tear her eyes from his and take a step away. She couldn't handle that gaze on her for too long, it was too intense. His eyes had always been intense when he had something important on his mind, she knew that, but she'd over ever seen them intense over missions, over the sake of humanity. Why would his eyes look at her with that intensity?  
"It's not nothing, Hanji, it's something, you have the kind of talent that can get through to anyone." Erwin's voice came gently, and Hanji dared to look up at him again. She was relieved that he was no longer looking in her direction, but now his gaze was somewhere far off, someplace she would never know.  
"Erwin?"  
"A lot of people see how special you are Hanji." he said suddenly and she did a double take. She'd forgotten the breakneck speeds conversations with Erwin could be, he was very to the point.  
"What do you-?"  
"I mean your new title as most desirable woman, the people around you, a lot of them truly_ want_ you, and some really _care_ for you." Hanji stared up at him dumbly, she knew that already, "This ball that's coming up… there's something strange about it." Erwin turned away from her and started walking again.  
"How so?" She asked trailing after him.  
"Why are they honoring you? It's not as humanity's brightest, it's as the desirable woman, but there is no obligation to that title, so what exactly are they planning this huge of a party for, so suddenly? Is it because they care for you? Or because they _want_ you?" his voice dropped into a raspy tone as he said 'want' and she caught his drift… Now that he mentioned it, it really hadn't made any sense, but the last 2 years of her life had made so little sense that she didn't even realize it.  
"Well, it seems like I have to go according to Levi." She sighed. Whether it was fishy or not, she didn't want to go, but she wasn't gonna make Levi's life any more complicated than it was. She could tell he was having a hard time lately anyway.  
Erwin's brows raised and a smile played on his lips as he turned to face her again, his blue eyes surprisingly playful.  
"What?" She stammered in shock, jumping back. A playful Erwin was too strange for her.  
"Levi. huh? You two have always been close, perhaps you've gotten closer in the time myself and the others have been away."  
"Huh?" She asked dumbly, "I mean, I don't know if we got closer really." she couldn't put her finger on it, but though she and Levi agreed to be friends, she still felt there was a gap between them, maybe she was just too strange to be a good friend?  
"Well the dynamic between you two has certainly changed." Erwin smirked as he remembered Levi's face when he'd walked into the office and seen himself and Hanji. It was quite clear what Levi thought was going on between the two of them, and obvious to him that Levi felt some kind of way about it. Looking down at Hanji's scrunched up and confused face as she repeated 'Changed dynamic?' he was fairly sure that Hanji didn't see it at all, but Erwin saw it. Levi acted cold to her, but he always had an eye on her. Back in the days of the Survey Corps Levi had still been like that, scolding her for being reckless in his own way, forcing her to take care of herself, Erwin had thought nothing of it but camaraderie, but the war was over and he still did it, and Erwin saw it, the struggle in Levi's eyes when they fell on Hanji. He wasn't sure why Levi was holding himself back with her, but-  
"Erwin?" Hanji called as he realized he'd been spacing off in his own thoughts.  
"Oh, sorry, I suppose I was a bit lost in thought." Erwn smiled turning back to her. "By the way." Erwin stared looking a bit uncomfortable as he spoke, "I actually did come back to the city for you… to ask you a favor actually, something I probably should have asked before I left for two years." He smiled a timid kind of smile, turning to look at Hanji. "It's a science related favor I suppose." Hanji's eyes shot wide open, her heart skipped a beat, her blood boiled, her face flushed at the word, "I realize it's terrible for me to leave two years just to return and ask a fav-"  
"What is it?!" she asked eagerly, grabbing at his arm in desperation, "What do you need me to research? _Ooooh god_, its been so _damn long_." She tossed her head back, her voice came out as a moan, her mouth was watering, all ideas of personal space flew out of the window as she pressed herself to him, desperate to hear what she would be researching. Passerby's stared at them in distaste clearly misunderstanding what was happening between the two of them but he merely smiled down at her with a patient smile, ignoring the glances they were getting. If there was one thing he knew, it was that research was probably more enticing than sex to this woman, and it had been a long time since she really researched anything, her reaction was not shocking to him in the slightest.  
"Well, I was wondering if there was anyway you could fabricate an arm for me."

**-**  
**This chapter is lacking of Levi, there's a reason… He will soon return, and he will return with a vengeance :D okay well maybe not a vengeance but he will have a breakthrough kinda. Erwin seems to have a pretty good grip on what's going on between these two emotional wrecks though, more of an idea than the both of them, i wonder what he will do with that information? See you next chapter :)**


	12. Sweets and Science

**Sorry this took me a bit longer than usual to update, even though I had a bunch of chapters stored away, I decided to change the direction of the story a bit so I had to change around a few of the chapters.**

"I'm going to need a handsaw, wood, metal, fabric; something that moves easily, can take high friction, possibly some sort of anesthetic and-"

"Wait, wait, Hanji, slow down." Erwin chuckled as Hanji dragged him into the teashop with the strength of ten soldiers as she went down a list of everything she would need in order to begin fabricating an arm for him.

"Hmm? Oh sorry!" She laughed letting her death grip loosen as the jingling of the bells on the door indicated they were back. Hanji dropped her bags at the counter, and watched as Erwin did the same, a curious smile in his eyes as he watched her.

"You seem pretty fired up about this." he commented.

"Well yeah!" She rocked on her feet in excitement as she spoke, "I can't help it! I was always interested in the human anatomy, especially since I looked into Titan anatomy so much, I compared the two a lot, there were so many similarities, but because titan bodies regenerated so quickly things like fabricating body parts was not needed, and this is the first chance I'd have to-"

"Hanji, breathe, you're turning blue."

"Haha, right." She paused and took in a huge breath, "It's hard to remember to breathe when there are such exciting things to talk about instead…" she sighed staring at his form and picturing in her mind what would be the most effective way to build an arm that would not only allow Erwin to do most of the things he used to do, but was comfortable enough to use on a daily basis. She was utterly silent as she stared at the area that his arm once was, a few ideas flashing through her mind before one really stood out to her, her eyes went wide, "It's perfect!" She exclaimed, jumping over the counter and falling less than gracefully on the other side as she snatched up a pen and a piece of paper.

"You alright Hanji?" Erwin's voice called out from the other side of the counter, but she was too busy trying to sketch out a crude drawing of what the arm she had planned for him might look like.

"Yes, this is a really ergonomic design, really streamline, even with simple material it should be possible, I could probably get started on it right away, it's still early and-"

"Specs, what are you doing? I heard a crash." A different voice called from further off. Hanji's eyes snapped up for a moment and she saw Levi standing at the steps. She noted his existence, briefly nodded in his direction and turned back to her sketch, writing down measurements at a furious speed.

He sighed watching her with her furrowed brows and intense glare. She was pretty calm and jolly before she left with Erwin,so what had her acting like her old spazzy researcher self? She didn't seem to have any intention of leaving her little world to spare a word for anyone else so he turned to look at the only person who might be able to give him an answer.

"I asked her if she could fabricate an arm for me and research the technology to make that possible." Erwin answered before Levi could even ask the question. Levi needed no more of an explanation.

"I thought she looked a little blue in the face." Levi mumbled, she did have a bad habit of talking until she was more than out of breath, though since she'd opened the teashop she hadn't done it.

"Perfect" Hanji exclaimed running over to Erwin and looking him up and down, "Okay, now take your shirt off." The room went utterly silent for a moment as both Levi and Erwin blinked at her.

"Your shop is opening soon Hanji, I don't think this is the best time for me to be-"

"Damn the shop, take your shirt off." She repeated, dead seriously, the silence extended a moment before she sighed irritably, "Fine, fine, we can go to my room and then you can take it off." She rubbed her forehead, "The light in there is worse, but since you're feeling shy I will respect that."

"I think it's time I go then." Levi muttered looking towards the door. The last thing he wanted to do was see where the hell Hanji was going with her sudden demand of clothing being removed. He'd really only come to deliver the tickets to the ball anyway, but after Ben pissed him off, he ended up staying in his office awhile to calm down a bit before leaving.

"No, no! You stay too! I need your help." Hanji exclaimed grabbing Levi roughly by he arm, "And now you come here." She grabbed Erwin's arm with her free hand and began dragging them both towards the stairs, "I need both of you."

"Miss Hanji?!" A new, shocked voice came from behind them now and the three of them turned around to see one of the shop assistants staring at the scene of Hanji dragging Levi and Erwin up the stairs in shock.

"What?" She demanded turning to face the young man.

"I-I'm sorry, I think I saw something I shouldn't have seen… I didn't know you liked that sort of thing Miss Hanji…" the man's face was flushed red as he looked down at his feet.

"What do you mean you didn't know? You used to look after me at the castle all of the times before you came here to work right? What did you think I was doing in my room all of this time?" She scoffed. She loved science so much, she was a fool for thinking she could do without it, she didn't care if everyone looked at her with the shocked face her employee was looking at her with right now, as long as she got to do science it didn't matter.

"Hanji, I think he might be misunderstanding." Erwin chimed in.

"What is there to misunderstand?! I love this more than anything, which is why I'm not letting the two of you run away; I need you both!" she huffed, curious as to why the young man's face got even more red.

"W-well then, I-I have to start getting ready to open the shop if you'll be busy." He stammered running off towards the front of the shop like a puppy with a tail between it's legs.

"Geez, is science really so strange to people? I just need help getting Erwin's measurements so I can make the arm fit him well." Hanji huffed under her breath before turning to continue dragging along Erwin and Levi. The two looked at each other in shared understanding that Hanji really was as socially oblivious as they'd always suspected.

-

"Alright!" Hanji yelled as she kicked her door open, "Now, take your shirt off!" She yelled, looking over at Erwin with a big, eager smile.

"Ahh…" Erwin chuckled as he took in her grin, "You are really…. something Hanji." He sighed before undoing the first button of his shirt.

"That's an understatement." Levi mumbled. He really needed to get back to the fortress office rather than be here, but he doubted Hanji would let him go now. He might have been humanity's strongest, but he knew if someone stood in the way of Hanji and her research, that title of his might have belonged to her, and he really didn't feel like fighting with her.

There was no reply from Hanji who was too busy shuffling through her room muttering 'measuring tape' over an over to even hear Erwin and Levi speaking.

"I see she really hasn't changed at all. That's a relief." Erwin called over to Levi.

"Hmm. I guess." Levi mumbled. In his opinion she'd changed quite a bit, at least over these last few weeks, she seemed different, but he couldn't really figure out how so he dropped it, "You seem pretty different though Erwin… The whole smiling thing is weird." Levi replied dryly.

"Haha, I guess I never really had much of a reason to smile back then." Erwin chuckled. Levi was absently looking around her room, taking note that it seemed a bit neater than he'd ever seen it, before replying.

"No, but you smiled back then too. I guess you haven't changed too much." Levi cut his eyes at Erwin now. Erwin laughed, knowing exactly what Levi meant. In the past under stress, Erwin cracked under the pressure a few times, smiled at grim news at things he really shouldn't have, but it wasn't out of amusement so much as it was being on the verge of losing his mind.

"Ahh, Levi, are you doubting me?" his voice came with mock surprise, "I am hurt."

"It's not doubt, our positions have changed is all… Strange things have been happening around the time you showed up." Levi admitted. It was true, he wasn't sure if it was a coincidence or not, but right around the time Erwin announced he would be returning to find Hanji, this whole 'Ball' was thrown together at the last minute and Levi'd only heard about it the day before.

"I agree." Erwin frowned much to Levi's surprise. They both turned and looked over to the still frantically searching Hanji.

"This whole 'Desirable Woman' thing… More and more is starting to seem strange to me. Why give a hollow title and celebrate this person for it, when the things she'd contributed had nothing to do with being desirable, but for being smart and hard working. Why not honor humanities Brightest?" Erwin asked, his eyes fixed on Hanji as he spoke.

"Hmmm." Levi hummed, that was exactly what he'd been wondering lately "I'm in charge of security… I saw the guest list, a lot of rich people are on it, not many of them even have much influence…" Levi scratched his chin. He had to admit having Erwin around was pretty nice actually. Erwin always had a way of pulling attention to the real matters, no matter how much people around might have focused on their own stupid pointless observations, Ben, Erwin always pushed people back in the appropriate direction. In this line of work, getting confused over 'feelings' was stupid and pointless, facts were what mattered, and Erwin was pretty good at looking at the reality of a situation.

"It's too much of a coincidence if we both think something is wrong." Erwin smirked, "I know you're under orders of someone else now, Commander Baasch… right? Well I would never want to put it in the mind of someone to question their commander, but."

"Baasch has always been strange…" Levi mumbled. The man was nearly as spazzy as Hanji was, which would have been fine if Baasch was as intelligent, capable and quick witted as she was, but he wasn't, he was just strange. How Baasch even came to be in charge, no one knew, behind his back people wondered how Baasch who came out of no where rather than Levi, who knew very well the way things should work, and Levi knew he'd be lying if he didn't question it himself.

Erwin gave Levi a long hard look before patting him on the shoulder, "They wanted you to bring her to the castle tomorrow, for… preparations right?" Levi nodded, "Well," Erwin went on, "It's just a gut feeling, one I'm not sure I even have to say since you seem to be sharing my thinking, but…."

"I FOUND IT!" Hanji yelled jumping up in so much excitement that she bumped her head on a shelf, "Oww!" She chuckled rubbing her head and looking over to Erwin and Levi, "What?" She asked trying to process the serious vibes coming from her friends.

"Look out for her." Erwin finished his thought, as Hanji stared at them in confusion.

"What are you two mumbling about? If it's not about science we have no time for it!" Hanji huffed walking over to them.

"I will." Levi replied to Erwin, entirely ignoring Hanji who was now yanking at Erwin's shirt again, demanding to get started right away,

"Hanji I'm leaving, you two can do whatever it is you are doing without me. I have a lot of work to do." Levi sighed. The look on her face made it clear she was not pleased by that, but the look quickly melted away into a patient one.

"Right, you have your own work, we'll be fine without you I guess." She shrugged unrolling the tape measure, an enthused fire back in her eyes as she glanced over at her rough sketch. Something about that statement left a pit in Levi's stomach, but he ignored it.

"Good." Levi pulled his coat on as he spoke, "Don't forget, I'll be back to pick you up in the morning, so don't stay up all night." Though the warning was for Hanji, the statement was directed to Erwin, the only person he knew could make sure Hanji got some damn sleep.

Hanji watched after him for a moment as Levi left the room. She wished he would stay, taking measurements on someone as big as Erwin was a bit difficult… And in all honesty, Levi being around to help just would have made it better, but he had work, what could be done about it?

"Okay, let's get started then." Hanji smiled looking up at Erwin who looked down at her with an amused face, "What?" she stammered, the tape measure brushing the floor as her arms hung loose at her sides.

"You wanted him to stay." Erwin smirked, it wasn't a question but a statement, an observation.

"He's my friend! Of course I want my friends around me." Hanji snorted, "Now come on, off with the shirt." She started with his buttons for him, too impatient to wait for him to do it himself.

"But he's also a man. Did you realize that yet?" Erwin asked, looking down at her.

"Well of course he's a ma-" her words hung in the air as she looked up at Erwin now, his expression was far less playful, serious almost. His eyes were fixed on hers and only now she realized that as she looked up, she was so close to him that she could feel his breath on her face.

"He's a man, I'm a man, yet you leave yourself so open, are you this vulnerable with everyone?" He turned his head a bit to the side, eyes still fixed on her, brows knit in concern, "If you are, then be careful of the people you befriend from now on, Hanji, because it seems like the world around us is changing again and this time, these changes revolve around you." Hanji pulled herself together as those words hit her.

"I know." She nodded, "I know this teashop might not be a place that I can stay, that this 'simple happiness' thing can't last too long for me, I already realized that this ball coming up is strange, but I can't just run away from things because I don't like it. I'll face it just like I did everything else. I know who I can trust with my life, and that is you and Levi." she turned back to undoing the buttons, "I really don't care much of what's happening around me anymore, so long as people are not being hurt like before, everything is fine because I know I can defend myself." she thought back to the night in the alley when those men tried to grab her, she wasn't too worried about them, because she knew no matter what she'd find a way to escape from them, it was the loss of her research that shook her, "As long as I can research I'm okay. The world can change around me, but after everything I've seen and done, it can't hurt me." She looked Erwin dead in the eye, her voice firm and sure as she spoke. She meant every word, during the war against the titans, she'd done terrible things she could never forget or forgive herself for, she'd died inside, and nothing anyone could try and do to her was worse than that. Erwin looked down at her a moment, expressionless, before nodding with a smile and patting her gently on the head, almost like a puppy.

"Same old Hanji." Erwin chuckled.

"Indeed I am." She laughed looking up proudly and puffing up her chest, "I can't change if I wanted to, and I don't want to try and change." She smirked, "Now hold still so we can finally get started on these measurements, would ya?"

A sigh escaped Hanji as she looked over all of the measurements and the finished design of the arm she wanted to make for Erwin. "That will do nicely." She mumbled with a smile. Erwin had fallen asleep awhile ago, he was sitting by the balcony and asking her to go to sleep herself, saying he wouldn't leave until she promised to sleep. She made no such promise, and the next thing she knew, she looked up to see Erwin fast asleep sitting in the chair, upright and proper as he usually looked. He must have been really tired, but she wasn't.

"I still have a few things to change around." She mumbled, but much to her surprise, she was actually craving a cup of tea, "One cup won't hurt." She muttered to herself, trying to get up as quietly as possible as not to disturb Erwin's sleeping. Tea was never something she craved before, she never understood Levi's adoration for the stuff honestly, not until recently anyway. Maybe this teashop had changed her a bit, she thought as she made her way down the stairs. That's when she noticed it, a small envelope on the table, with her name neatly printed on it; Levi's handwriting it looked like.

"What's this?" She wondered, picking it up. She opened the envelope and pulled out the contents; a piece of candy and a note. She popped the candy in her mouth, savoring the sweet taste that coated her tongue and unfolded the note and saw four words written big on the page; "GET SOME SLEEP DUMBASS."

Hanji snorted so hard that the candy nearly flew out of her mouth. She could practically hear Levi yelling that in her head, "Haha, just like him." she wiped a tear of laughter from her eyes before folding the note back up and going back up the stairs. Maybe he was right, at least for today, she'd get some sleep, after all, the next few days, sounded like they were going to be hectic.

And hectic they were.

**Sorry again this took a bit longer, this is kind of another set up chapter before things get… intense. The candy on the counter is something Levi left there from the last chapter. And yeah that's kind of all I can think to say right now, the story is about to develop some actual linear plot and character development though, so yeah, whoo, okay bye.**


	13. Before the Madness

**Before Madness** **Breaks loose**

**I am still not owning any snk :)**

Levi woke up early the next morning, before the sun was even up. He blinked blankly at the ceiling, his mind was muddled and still drowsy. It had been a long night, he'd had to stay up all night just to make sure that the security for the castle was being held at was flawless, and even after falling asleep, his sleep was less than restful as usual. This ball was turning out to be a pain in the ass, too many rich people, too many formalities and too much attention on Hanji for him to feel at ease about it all. He grunted as he sat up, speaking of Hanji, he just remembered he still had to get up and go get Hanji, no matter how tired he was. He was told they had to do a 'fitting' for her dress so that it fit her well, and some other crud that Levi had no interest in, so he pretty much tuned out of the conversation.

He slowly sat up and slumped over, his head in his hands as he tried to shake the horrible headache he had. The nightmares were back, a night when he didn't have them were great, but those were few and far between, though he'd never let anyone know that. The faces of fallen friends plagued him now. It was pretty ironic to him, back when he was still in the survey corps, he slept fine, but now that he was out, getting a full night of rest was almost unheard of to him. The people that he thought of as family, that died because of him… Urk… the nightmares nearly made him vomit every morning, but he'd never say a word. Taking a deep breath and pushing the nightmare induced nausea aside, he got to his feet and readied himself for the day. He did have to go get Hanji after all and that, he was sure, would be quite a task.

"Hanji, get up." he called irritably.

"No." she grumbled turning her face into the pillows.

"Hanji, get your ass up right now or I will tear you from that bed." his voice came with a stern warning now. He really wasn't in the mood for this so early in the morning after having to

"Look, no need to resort to such-" she turned to face him, but was shocked to see a particularly strange look on his face today. He looked soulless, exhausted, the dark look on his face was there, the one she only noticed when he was really having a hard time. That look shocked her so much it stole her words of protest away. Levi frowned and then-

"Waaaaaaaiiiiit!" She screamed as Levi plucked her from her bed and slung her over his shoulder like a bag of flour, ignoring her protests.

"We don't have time for this. You usually hate sleep, why are you making a fuss about getting up now?" he grumbled.

"Ugh," she groaned, "Because when I wake up and research, it's one thing, but waking up to get ready for a stupid ball? No thank you, I'd like to stay home. You can go in my place."

"I'm not even attending the party, just looking out for any safety concerns," he was surprised when he heard her snort a laugh, "What?"

"Nothing, I just thought if you attended in my place you'd have to wear a dress and- ack!" She yelped as he jerked her on his shoulder, to shut her up before she really got into detail about him in a dress, "You know, you almost made me bite my tongue doing that!" She protested.

"...Who are you, Oulo?" Levi snorted as he remembered his old teammate.

"I remember that guy." she chuckled, "he bit his tongue and nearly bled all over my research. Ahhh, I miss them." she sighed a sad sigh and Levi almost dropped her in a reaction he didn't even understand.

"They weren't even on your team." He scoffed.

"So? I still spoke with them, ate with them, I quite liked them actually, maybe not as much as you but… You'd never say it out loud right?" he could feel her shrug from where she was balanced over his shoulder, "You'd never say out loud that you miss them." she could feel him standing perfectly still now. She must have hit the nail on the head.

"I can't imagine you crying or ever saying you missed anyone, per say, but I know it bothers you a lot. I can see it on your grumpy face. Today especially, as your friend, I guess I'll just have to take that on for you." she sighed, crossing her arms where they hung behind him.

"Tch…" Levi scoffed marching over to the door, "Who the hell asked you to do that? Mind your own damn business." Why was she so insistent on being… helpful. Didn't she know it wasn't helpful if no one wanted her damn help?

"Ahh, that's the thing about being friends, I get to cross boundaries and make you uncomfortable or upset sometimes when you're hurting as long as it helps in the long run!" She announced proudly before closing her eyes and patting him on the back, "So it's alright Levi, if you wanna shoulder to cry on, that's what friends are for~! I'm not afraid of dirt like you so I don't mind the tears." She sang with a smile.

"… I will drop you." Levi warned, leaving her room and shutting the door behind him. They might have been 'friends' but she knew he would indeed drop her if he wanted to. He really didn't want her comfort, he was too tired for all of this, and too irritated from the nightmares.

"Haha, you can try but I won't let go!" She squirmed in his grip so that her arms could wrap around under his armpits and she could lock her hands together, securing her spot.

"You think I still can't drop you?" he sighed stopping so that he didn't trip up while she tried to imitate a monkey. She didn't say anything a moment and he could tell she was considering whether he really still could drop her or not. There was a good moment of silence before he heard her let out a little 'Aha!'. She wrangled herself down a bit, wrapping her legs around him now and digging her nails into his shirt.

"Try and drop me now!" She yelled triumphantly, proud of herself.

"…Hanji, I'm stronger than you." He reminded her, making his way for the stairs, choosing not to drop her, but rather ignore her now… it was usually easier. A door down the hallway creaked open just then and Erwin came into the hallway as well. Great.

"Good morning." Erwin waved watching them. Levi could see it in his eyes he was clear amused by this, "You two sure look like you're having fun so early in the morning."

"Morning Erwin, how are you?" Hanji called cheerily, her voice muffled from her face being pressed up against Levi's back.

"Don't breath your nasty ass morning breath down my back!" Levi yelled, poking her in the side. She yelped now, jumping, her legs flailing now, nearly sending them both flying backwards, but he regained his footing quickly, "The hell was that?" he scoffed, his hand over her waist from where she hung over his shoulder so that she wouldn't slide off.

"I'm ticklish!" She yelled.

"You two are really interesting." Erwin chuckled from where he stood and Levi glared at him. He was enjoying this too much, what did he think this was, a side show?

"Tch, whatever." Levi huffed, annoyed by the whole situation, "I have to get her to the castle where the ball is being held. They're doing the dress fitting bullshit there. You were invited to, so you'll have to show up as well when the ball starts tomorrow, you know how to get there right?"

"Yes, I do." Erwin nodded, a smile still playing on his lips as he watched them.

"Good." Levi's reply was brusk as he turned and began walking down the stairs, Hanji still dangling on his shoulder.

"Bye Erwin! See you tomorrow!" Hanji waved with a big smile when Levi turned.

"Bye." Erwin smirked back, waving at her as she disappeared down the stairs on Levi's shoulder. He could hear them down the stairs now,

"We should have tea before we leave." Levi's voice drifted up the stairs.

"Ehhh?!" Why'd you wake me up if there was time for tea?!" Hanji was demanding now, but Erwin still heard tea cups shuffling around downstairs now, and after a little while, the door to the shop opened and shut.

"Ahh… For a scientific genius and a combat genius, those two sure are stupid." Erwin chuckled walking down the hallway to the bathroom.

"Whoa…" Hanji breathed as the carriage pulled up to the castle. It was a pretty boring ride considering she was in the carriage alone, Levi had rode beside the carriage on his horse, so she didn't have anyone to talk with the whole boring ride through town until they arrived at the castle and she took in the huge, grand, building. The building was so clean, it shone in the day sun, the water in the moat around it sparkled, there was a garden with some of the most rare flowers and it absolutely took her breath away… in the bad way.

"What am I even doing here? I'm a soldier, not a fricking princess, are they going to make me act like a princess?" Hanji panicked, cracking her knuckles, "How will I finish Erwin's arm if I have to act all prissy and lady like!? Argh!" She smacked her hands to her forehead and threw her head back in frustration, just as the carriage came to a stop and the door opened.

"We're here." Levi's voice came now, he thought to ask what she was doing, but then decided better of it. She might have answered.

"H-hey Levi, you know, at first I didn't think about this so much, but I'm not so sure about this now, haha." She scooted further back into the carriage, away from the door, "I mean this is all very short notice and I'm a busy person, so maybe we can reschedule or something! Let's just turn the cart around." She laughed nervously. She wasn't one to be intimidated by people of power, or even to care what people thought of her, but she really had a bad feeling about this whole thing for some reason. She watched as he sighed, rubbing his eyes, she was sure he was irritated that she was making his job even harder, but when he opened his eyes, she didn't see irritation there at all, but a solid look of…. determination?

"Look. You're not going in there alone. While they're doing all of the fitting and stuff I'll be in the castle. If something happens just yell for me and I'll be there." his eyes fixed on hers, she felt the gravity of his words. Why were they speaking like they were about to go on a mission? He shared her reservation for the situation, and when two soldiers who went through what they went through had a bad feeling, she knew tone weary of the situation. She was sure he must have seen the stern concern in her eyes because he reached out and pat her once on the head "Nothing bad's gonna happen, Shitty glasses." His hand slid from her head and she blinked at him in shock. He'd just touched her, he'd just willingly shown some sort of friendly behavior towards her…

"Do it again." She blurted.

"What?" his brow quirked at the sudden outburst.

"Pat my head," She smiled leaning over, "It was nice!" she gave him big puppy dog eyes as she looked over and he almost caved and did it again. Keyword; almost.

"Tch! My boss is waiting to meet you and you want me to pet your head?" He asked, he didn't know why he expected a rational answer, she just nodded eagerly, leaning her head over to him more.

"Oh come on, what's a pat on the head between friends?" She beamed.

"Tch! You're so-"

"Hellooooo!" A voice boomed behind them… Levi was going to call her annoying, but as soon as he heard the voice behind him, he new the truly annoying person had arrived; his boss, Captin Baasch. Levi stepped aside and turned to face his boss and the two guards behind him.

"Captain." Levi stared at him. No solute, no bow. Just a stare, but Baasch didn't acknowledge him anyway.

"Is this, her?" Baasch's slightly aged green eyes were wide and sparkling as they landed on Hanji, "Is this the lovely Brightest of Humanity, I've heard so much about?" Baasch gushed reaching out to help Hanji out of the carriage.

"Oh?" He saw her as the Brightest of Humanity? Not the Desirable Woman? Well, finally, someone who had their priorities straight, "Nice to meet you too!" She smiled reaching out to give his extended hand a firm handshake, so you could imagine her surprise when Baasch pulled her hand to his lips before pulling that tend to assist her from the carriage… She looked over to Levi with a semi disgusted expression, but he only shrugged, and Hanji could only gather that this was the man's normal behavior.

"So lovely to meet you in person." He smiled now, his eyes narrowing into happy slits as they looked down at her, "I know you have a very busy day of fittings for the ball tomorrow, but I at least wanted to meet you today." He laughed heartily, his hand still holding hers.

"Ehhh… right." She pulled her hand back now, wiping the wet spot from his kiss on her hand off on her jacket, "So let's get this over with then?" She offered, standing straighter, passing Baasch and heading into the castle with the two guards.

Levi moved to follow after her, but Baasch grabbed his arm, "She's cute, how'd you resist that! Having to work with her all of the time must have been difficult for you to resist her!" Baasch laughed patting Levi on the shoulder.

"Mention Titans to her. Then tell me if you still think she's cute." Levi scoffed heading towards the castle now. He still had work to do, security to look over one more time, people to hand assignments to, guards to speak with. Speaking with Baasch over stupid shit like 'women' was the last thing he had on his mind.

"Ahh, this is taking a long time…." Hanji sighed as the attendants that came to get her earlier that day poked and prodded at her. At this point, Hanji wasn't sure how long she'd been with the attendants, but looking out of the window, she saw the sun was starting to set… "Hey! How many hours have I been here?" She pouted as one of the women went on pulling her hair up.

"About 8 hours." One of the women said matter-of-factly. Hanji's jaw dropped. What a waste of time! She could have been researching, she could have been making Erwin's arm, she could have been with her friends, she could have been in the teashop, but no, she spent the last 8 hours here? Ugh, that should have been a crime!

"Oi! I'm not that bad that I need 8 hours to get ready!" She protested, she wanted to say more, but then one of the women pulled tightly on the corset she was wearing and she hacked a cough.

"Well, there were a lot of dresses to go through and shoes to try on, and you were so unfamiliar with them it took a long time! And now we just have to finish up the alterations, I'm sure you'll survive." The woman looked scornfully at Hanji, but Hanji payed her no mind, she never cared about this kind of stuff anyway, "Miss Hanji your hair is a mess, for skin is dirty, your face is puffy from lack of sleep, your nails are dirty, you have no makeup, no perfume, but there is a smell." The woman sighed and rolled her eyes as if the whole thing was just a big bother to her, but Hanji still ignored her. This woman, after all, knew only what she saw, she didn't know Hanji as a person at all, and in all honesty, this last didn't seem like the kind of person Hanji wanted to be friends with, but then the woman spoke again, "Please allow me to inform you, Ms. Hanji; the titans are gone, and so are most of your silly little 'Survey Corp' friends, and now somehow you're the most desirable woman humanity has to offer, you should at least take better care of yourself and try to look like a woman at least a little, there will be a lot of powerful me-."

"Get off." Hanji growled under her breath, her expression dark as she turned suddenly. Those words that this woman just spoke… Those words got a rise out of her, perhaps she was in fact dirty, perhaps she could be more feminine, but she didn't really want to be more feminine so whatever they said about her, it didn't matter… But to talk about the Survey Corps badly? That was a misstep on that woman's part. The women rolled their eyes yet again and gave her an exasperated glare, opening her mouth to speak.

"Miss Hanji you have to-" the woman who'd insulted her started speaking, and reached out to Hanji with an irritated look on her face, but Hanji viciously slapped the woman's hands away.

"GET THE HELL OFF!" Hanji yelled swatting the rest of the woman's hands aside. The women looked at Hanji with a healthy dose of fear in their eyes, The pins they'd been using to fix the dress dug into her skin, but she didn't care. "You don't know the things I've seen and done, you don't know what I can't unsee!" She growled pointing her finger in the woman's now terrified face, "You don't know the things people in the Survey Corps gave so that you could be here now! And I will NOT let you stand there and speak of them like they don't matter! They're not silly they were braver than anyone in this damn room!" Hanji fumed, as she fully backed the woman in a corner, her voice raised loudly. The woman pulled a small table to stand between Hanji and herself, but Hanji kicked it over in a fit of rage "Damn all of this bullshit! It means nothing! The teashop! This fortress! All of this bullshit means nothing!" Hanji yelled flinging her arms in the air, "No matter what I do I can't make it up to those guys that I failed them! But just because I couldn't save them and people like you still speak ill of them! Damn you! Screw all of this!" The women gasped and Hanji tore the whole dress off and threw it on the ground panting, absolutely outraged, so angry she didn't know what to do with herself, she just wanted to… wanted to destroy everything in the room because… It really felt like all she could do.

"Zoe." A low voice called from the doorway, Hanji jumped back to her senses, as she turned around to see Levi standing calmly in the doorway, it.

"What?!" Hanji demanded, turning around to face him. One of the women stood behind him, she hadn't seen the woman flee the room, but she could only assume that she'd left to bring Levi here now, and somehow that made her more angry.

"The hell are you doing?" Levi's voice was flat as he looked around the room. Hanji was panting in the middle of the room, only in her underwear, the women around her looked petrified and half of the furniture in the room had been knocked over… He knew what this meant.

"Which one of you shit heads talked bad about the Survey Corps?" He asked. Immediately all eyes turned on the one woman who Hanji had backed into a corner.

"I-I was just telling Ms. Hanji tha-"

"Don't care." Levi held up his hand to silence the woman, "See the thing is, it's my job to protect Hanji, not the rest of you. If you piss her off, I really don't care what she does to you, I only came cuz this lady over here," Levi pointed at the woman behind him, "Said that there was an emergency with Hanji, if beating you guys up is the way for her to feel better, I don't actually have to stop her." Levi sighed and watched as the women's faces twisted in a deeper horror.

"What kind of people are you? You're like animals! Don't you know you should be more civilized! The war is over" The woman cornered by Hanji dared to yell even in her position as her eyes nervously darted around looking between Levi's cold face and Hanji's enraged one, "You can threaten me if you want, but I'm not wrong about that!" The woman insisted.

"We're the kind of people who suffered a lot for you to live… We gave our damn humanity for you! So don't you dare ask us to be civilized!" Hanji's voice came low, a shaky, deathly cold whisper. And Levi got the grasp of just how serious she was. Hanji was at the point of wanting to seriously injure this woman for whatever she'd said to her. He wouldn't have stopped her, but he was almost sure Hanji would have regretted it later.

"Hanji." He called, "You're done here for the day, time to go." She didn't move a fraction of an inch as she glared down at the woman.

"Am I done? If this woman really still thinks she's right for speaking ill of all of our friends who died for her life, I don't think I can walk away satisfied until she changes her thinking, don't you think?" Hanji tilted her head and grabbed the woman by the collar, a sadistic smile on her face now as the woman trebled in fear, "This woman seems to look afraid now just from looking at me, but she scoffs at the Survey Corps? Hah! She couldn't dance with the titans like we did, Levi! But I don't think she really knows fear… Should I show you?" Hanji twisted smile deepened and the woman visibly shook.

"I think you've scared her enough." Levi sighed walking over and standing behind Hanji now, looking over her shoulder and down at the woman who was now sweating through her clothes, "I think this woman has learnt her lesson." He sneered down briefly at the woman before reaching down and pulling Hanji's hands from the woman's collar, "But that's enough for now Hanji. It's time for dinner." she gave him a dirty look.

"Oi! Are you trying to protect her!? After what she said about our friends? She doesn't deserve it! Dom't stand in the way " she snapped, yanking her hands away.

"I don't care about her." Levi said flatly as he reached over and grabbed a robe from a nearby chair, "I'm following what you told me this morning something about friends being able to make you angry and be annoying so long as they're trying to help… or something like that." he muttered holding the robe out to her. She looked at the robe for a moment, the scowl still on her face, then she looked up at him and her expression softened.

"Hah, I guess I have no choice but to follow my own advice." She chuckled, taking the robe and pulling it on, before turning back to the woman, "Sorry I snapped at you, but you really respect the sacrifices we made… You never looked those people in the eye and saw their fear, you never watched them go out there despite their fear and risk their lives for humanity, or risk their lives for you. I doubt you could do what we did and walk away sane." Hanji hissed the last word at the woman before sighing and turning to Levi, "Alright, you said dinner right? What's on the menu?" she went back to acting like nothing was wrong.

"No clue." Levi shrugged, walking next to her as they both left the room leaving the women behind in shock, "I just eat whatever I'm given, so long as it isn't your teeth murdering rice." he added.

"Oh come on, that again?" She chuckled, ignoring the guards that watched her in the robe while she chatted with Levi, their superior, "Hey, Levi?"

"What?"

"Thanks for uh… stopping me back then, I really don't know how I would've calmed down." She gave him a shamed sort of grin as she spoke.

"It's not like you were wrong. The stupid woman was wrong, but you would've probably regretted it later so…." he trailed off as they kept walking, and she watched him from the side of her eye, her smile widening into a genuine one now.

"You're a good friend, you know," She nudged him lightly with her arm, "This friendship stuff is actually pretty good." she chuckled.

"Uhuh." He hummed offhandedly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. Had she been anyone else, he was sure she would have still been angry, sure she was just faking being okay now, but he knew she really was okay. Since he met her, Hanji was never the kind of person who took other people's words to heart, or cared what other people thought, she did and said what she thought was right no matter what, that was part of why he found her at least tolerable in comparison to everyone else when he'd first joined the Survey Corps… But if you insulted the people she cared about and respected, she did get angry, but even her anger and pain didn't sit in and fester, like his own sometimes did. He admired that actually, her ability to live and let live, he was sure it made her suffer sometimes too, being alive knowing that someone died in her place, but she didn't let it plague her… He really wondered how she did that.

"What?" She asked suddenly, pulling him from his thoughts, "Why are you staring at me?" Was he? He didn't even realize.

"I thought you had a snot in your nose, I was wrong." he looked away from her.

"What?" She quickly wiped her nose with the sleeve of the robe, "Did I get it?" She asked, but he couldn't even hold in his disgust as he grabbed her by the clean sleeve and yanked her in the other direction, "Hey where are we going?!" she demanded.

"So filthy… We're going to find you a bath!" He yelled.

"Aww, come on! i had a long day of trying on dresses, can't I just eat and go to sleep?"

"After the bath." he announced.

"Uuuuuggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!" She groaned all the way down the hall and through the castle, but she knew it made no difference. Eh, maybe he was just looking out for her in his own weird way. She smiled to herself as she was dragged down the hallway, if that was it, this little Shorty was a very attentive friend.

-

**…I enjoyed writing this chapter because their friendship is getting friendshippy finally, the next chapter is probably going to be a little more focused on Levi and Hanji specifically than the last few were, because of that… probably anyway.**

**I'm also thinking of starting a new AU aside from this that's largely Levihan (cuz I wasn't busy enough right?) but also because I just read the last chapter of SNK and I need distractions to stop thinking about it ._.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, please review if you have time and thank you for all of the kind and funny reviews up to now. See'ya :D **


	14. Something Good

**Nightmares**  
**A chapter for the less than pleasant dreams**

I own no snk D:D

He was sure she'd had a bath, sure that she ate her meal, so why was she following him around right now? There was nothing else she needed.

"Hanji…" Levi mumbled.

"Hmm?" She hummed from where she sat, curled up in a chair in the corner of his room with a notebook in her hands and a clueless little smile on her face as she looked up.

"Why are you here?" he grumbled. She was distracting. He would start looking over his work and she'd let out a little 'aha' or a chuckle, then he'd look up to see what was so 'aha' or chuckle worthy, but all she was doing was smiling at her notebook. At some point he'd forgotten the paperwork and was just watching her reactions to whatever the hell she was doing. He must have been staring at her for at least 10 minutes before he finally wondered how he would get any work done and why she was even there in the first place.

"Mehh." she shrugged, not even looking up from her book, "The room they prepared for me is weird. It's very pink and frilly, it gives me a headache." she tilted her head to the side, eyebrows scrunched as she went on writing. Now he pretty curious what she was so curiously writing so diligently over there… And he made the mistake of asking.

"What are you doing over there anyway?" her eyes lit up the moment he asked, her legs pulled into her body as she prepared to spring out of the chair and come towards him and he immediately knew asking was a big mistake, whatever it was he could tell by that look in her eyes that she would be talking for a looooong time if she started on this topic.

"Nevermind." but by the time he'd said that it was too late, she'd already sprung from her chair and bounded over to his desk with her notebook and these big bright eyes. He wanted her to go away, but something about the look in her eyes as she came over kept him from putting up any real protest once she started speaking.

"It's the blueprint for Erwin's arm!" She smiled from ear to ear. Ahh, of course it was about Erwin, "Since I have the measurements now, I'm able to get a more solid idea for a specific design tailored to his body. I'm researching anatomical details now, aside from what I've already seen on Erwin, I was thinking of thing to make some sort of functional hand, one that can clench and unclench using a series of levers that way it's functional in his everyday life."

"Not a bad idea." Levi murmured. She paused, her eyes went wide before squinting into a smile.

"Thanks." She couldn't remember the last time she'd worked on something that got her as fired up as this did, but having someone that listened was nice, even if she was fairly sure he'd only caught a few things that she'd said.

"Mhmm." he turned his eyes back to his paperwork now. She was way too distracting… he really wouldn't get anything done like this. Her eyes followed his to the work on his desk. It all looked really boring… It must take a loooot of concentration to get through that.. She wasn't helping right now, was she? She already felt that she was making his job hard enough.

"Ahh, sorry you're probably working. I guess I'll go." she pulled back from where she was leaning on his desk. His mouth opened and promptly shut… He almost stopped her, almost told her to stay, why would he do that? She was so distracting, and now she was leaving, so why didn't he want her to go?

"Goodnight then." He lifted his hand in a brief and offhanded wave as she left the room.

She hesitated a moment at the door and watched him. Somehow he looked out of place sitting there at that desk, writing up paperwork. Levi always liked the sky, yet here he was still trapped inside the walls… Why was that? "Goodnight." She murmured before gently shutting the door and going down the hall.

Levi watched her go. She was gone, he should have been able to focus, but now he was wondering if she got back to her room okay, if the guards bothered her on the way there, little stupid things nagged at him while he tried to write his paperwork. He knew she was fine yet.. "Tch! Friendship is annoying." He scoffed, pushing away from his desk. Much of this paperwork wasn't due until later… For now, he decided he would just rest. Tomorrow was a big day after all, and he was sure that it had to be lack of sleep making him worry about all of these strange things. With that in mind, he went to his bed and after sometime, fell asleep.

-

"This has to be a dream." Levi mumbled his eyes shut, "This has to be a dream." He said again holding the person in his arms desperately close.

"Maybe, if it is you'll find out when you wake up." A soft voice called back to him,

"I don't want to." He replied, he opened his eyes now and looked down at the woman he held in his arms. It felt right, the auburn hair tickling his nose, the soft scent of her shampoo, it all just felt too right to him for him to admit to himself that this very well might have been a dream.

"Levi." Petra scolded, "You have to wake up eventually."

"Why?" He asked desperately. He didn't want her to go again, he wanted to stay with her, there was nothing pressing for him outside of this dream, there was not a thing he could think of that was more important than holding Petra at this moment.

"Levi you still have things to do, unlike me." Petra sighed with an annoyed frown. Her eyes were as cold as her demeanor, that was the norm in hid dreams of her though.

"Tch… Like what? I'm not needed in this world. The worlds strongest soldier is useless without titans." Levi huffed breathing in the fresh floral smell that clung to her skin that he'd missed so much.

"Really?" She asked quirking up an eyebrow, as she pushed him away from her, Levi's eyes went wide as the area around them that only a moment ago had been dark lit up and around the both of them, a sea of caskets surrounded him, the words 'Dead from Levi's Orders' written neatly on each of them along with the names of the men and women that he'd caused to die. "Well you'll have to have one of these to get where I am." Petra flashed him a sad smile, "And it doesn't seem like your as good as finding one of these for yourself as you are for finding them for others." she said bitterly, kissing his lips before pulling away with a vengeful smirk.

"Levi!" Another voice was calling somewhere in the distance.

"I am sorry… I am sorry, that you died... I made bad choices and it resulted in this…" Levi's voice came desperately, his hand holding onto Petra's. He knew it was a dream… a nightmare, she always seemed to hate him so much when he dreamt of her. He couldn't blame her, her death was his fault.

She frowned and shook her head solemnly, slinking her hand out of his. "You've changed Levi, you're an idiot if you don't see it."

"Leeeeviiii!" The voice from before was calling again, getting closer.

"What are you talking about, I'm the same." Levi insisted, growing frustrated with the voice in the background yelling.

"No…" She frowned turning her back to him, "You're very different from when I knew you. You're barely recognizable. You haven't even asked why I hate you so much this time." she sighed rubbing the side of her head the way she used to when she was irritated, the way she had never done in his dreams of her since she'd died.

"Because you never answer…" his reply was bitter, he was fumbling, reaching to hold her hand, but she took a step away, and turned to face him, her eyes rimming with tears, her face gentler, softer than when she faced him moments ago. She looked far less hateful, more like he remembered her looking now than before.

"I never answer because you know the real me could never hate you, not ever. It's you who hate yourself. I am dead, it is because of your call, but you know I have no regrets. So why do you make me so hateful when you dream of me? Why do you keep thinking about me and all of your mistakes rather than moving forward?"

"LEVI WAKE UP!" The voice was getting closer.

"I-I don't make you hateful…." he stammered, inching closer to her. Was he dreaming now? He knew he was dreaming, so why did it feel different, like Petra was really there? "My life is moving forward." The argument was weak even to him. His life was moving forward around him, things happened, but none of it really touched him, since the war ended, he'd been thinking too much. Too many people died because of him, he never got them the justice they deserved and it killed him inside. He deserved no happiness, not even if he wanted it. Petra studied his face before flashing him a gentle smile.

"Turn around Levi and start walking, don't look back for me." She smiled brightly, a light emanated around her now bathing her in a golden light… she looked like an angel… was she?

"I can't leave you…"

"But I'm already gone." She spun him around, the last glimpse he got of her was her face smiling at him with a gentle forgiving sort of smile, "Now walk away from here, go live your life." She pushed him forward forcing him to take a step, "Get out of here!" She yelled, he could hear that she was crying, he felt his own eyes getting hot, but he dared not turn around, "I tried to look over you as long as I could, but I see that by me holding onto you, it causes you pain and gives you nightmares, because you'll hold onto me too, but I see now that I don't have to look after you anymore. You see when you wake up, something great will be waiting for you. I'm letting you go now, so just be happy you emotionally comatose idiot!" She yelled, he could from her voice that she was crying, but also that she was smiling.

"Petra…."

"Keep walking or for the rest of your life, you'll keep dreaming that I blame you for my death! Keep walking or you'll keep making yourself miserable, like an idiot!" She yelled. Her hands fell from his back and he took a step. It was the hardest step he ever took in his life, but it was one he had to take. "That's right, don't ever dream of me again! You have better things to do!" She sobbed, he took another step, something hot and wet dripped down his face, but he kept walking. If she never wanted to see him again, he would abide, "I loved you-" she whispered.

"LEEEEEVVVIIIII!" the voice came loudly this time, and the dream world fell to pieces around him.

-

Levi shot up, a guttural yell escaping him as his eyes bolted open to meet two big brown shocked orbs staring at him from the side of his bed. He stared at her a long moment like that, and neither of them said a word before she finally spoke.

"Oh god I thought you were dying! Do you know how long I was trying to wake you up? And why are you screaming?!" Hanji huffed, taking in a deep breath. Only now Levi realized he'd been holding onto his sheets for dear life. He unclenched his hands, and teeth now, slumping over a bit and holding his now aching head in his hand.

"I'm not dead…" He replied slowly, his answer was not only for her, but reassurance for himself. His mind was still racing, trying to catch up with reality, he felt as if something had been forcibly torn from his body, his stomach felt sick, but he felt oddly relieved and refreshed, like whatever that was torn out of him had been rotten, and making him ill for too long. He caught a glimpse of Hanji's face now, she looked at him now, really looked at him and she scrunched her face up in concern.

"Are you okay?" She asked, leaning in, her face mere inches from his own as she went to take a look at him, a gesture that only a while ago, he was sure would have irritated him, but now did not, "You look like you saw a ghost." she stated. Most people would have taken this phrase as a joke, but they both knew what she was really asking; if he dreamt of their fallen friends, "Taking a walk helps me personally, or reading a really complicated book." her eyes closed as she spoke, her brows knit. Few people knew how guilty they both felt for not being able to save their friends… They both knew that pain, they shared it.

"I'm fine, it always passes." he closed his eyes as well, trying to calm his still racing mind. Silence filled the room, he thought she might go, but he could still feel her presence there. It shocked him that he was glad she did stay. He cracked his eyes open now, she still sat there, utterly quiet, though he knew she must have come in there for a reason, "Why are you in my room watching me sleep, Specs? It's creepy." he grumbled, unsure what else to say.

"I couldn't sleep! The beds here are too soft." Her eyes opened and she smiled a lopsided smile as she looked at him, "Soooo I made some tea, I thought it might help me relax, but I guess I'm too used to drinking tea with you at the shop now, I ended up making two cups. I was brining it for you, then I saw you were sleeping. You were moving around in your sleep so much and yelling, so I came over to make sure you were okay." she shrugged, "But now that you're awake, do you want the tea?" she asked.

"Tea… would be nice." his reply came slowly.

"Good." She flashed a satisfied grin, before turning around and picking up a tray on the bedside table that he hadn't noticed was there at first, "It's chamomile again today since sleep is the goal." She beamed and he stared at her. In his dream, Petra said he would open his eyes and find something good, she was right; tea was very good, especially Hanji's tea. He slowly reached over and picked up the cup. It wasn't something he could easily admit, but Hanji did make amazing tea. She always put her all onto everything she did, which is part of what made people think she was crazy, she was too intense, but when she did something, she did it right, including the tea. He watched her as she picked up her own cup, still squatted on the floor next to his bed and took a sip.

"Thanks." He muttered, holding the warm drink in his hand, he needed that right then. She watched him as he drank his tea in the different way that he always did and she found herself staring. He looked pale, the bags that were usually under his eyes looked even more pronounced than usual… He had been, in fact, screaming in his sleep, yelling and tossing just a minute ago, she couldn't imagine that he was feeling very well… especially considering what he had been screaming in his sleep.

"It must be hard." she thought aloud, eyes fixed dropping to the mug in her hand.

"What?" he asked, looking up from his tea.

"You loved her a lot right? Petra?" The question shook him, just as her name usually did, but for a different reason than it usually did. Usually the mention of Petra's name shook him, but it wasn't the name that shook him, it was something else. It was Petra's name coming from Hanji's mouth. The only other time he'd even really heard Petra's name from her mouth was the night Hanji'd reminded him just what had happened between the two of them all of those years ago… If he was being honest with himself, he actually was still quite upset with himself for having used Hanji that way… But now, something Petra said in his dream surfaced again in his mind; ' It's you who hate yourself'.

"I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine." Hanji's brows jumped as she heard that. Levi was always so straight forward, this sort of round about response wasn't much like him, if he didn't like what someone had to say he simply ignored them, not this. He really must not have been feeling well.

"Sure." She replied.

"Why don't you hate me?"

"Whoa, why would I hate you?" She rocked back on her feet almost falling backwards, but she managed to keep her balance where she was still squatted next to his bed.

"You know very well why." He looked away from her now.

"Are you talking about that night again?" she scoffed in mild disbelief, "That was ages ago, there's no reason for me to hate you for that." she shrugged her shoulders, "When I slept with you there was no love on my part or yours, I was drunk so were you, we didn't even kiss. I mean it was mutual, I used you as much as you used me, all things considered, you could hate me for it." She muttered the last part, looking down at her feet, "I am sorry that I asked you to do that without knowing your situation."

"Oi, Shitty Glasses, if someone sleeps with you and calls you the wrong name, you should be angry no matter what. You didn't know about Petra, so how could I hate you?" he mumbled halfheartedly. No matter what he said, he knew she'd give him some reason that her forgiving him made sense, and he usually thought it was her being stupidly forgiving, but this time, he felt a bit different. If she forgave him with good reason, he'd forgive himself as well, because he actually wanted to forgive himself now. Somehow he felt different. Even if it was just a dream, the idea that he really was the only one hating himself was annoying. He'd spent his whole life taking down anyone who stood in his way, and the thought of standing in his own way was truly irritating. He would' do that anymore.

"But I'm not angry!" she shrugged, "Friendship is about forgiving and forgetting right? Well, I forgave you, so let's forget about it!" She thought they'd been over this already, he was the one who'd told her to forget it, "Besides," she added, upon seeing he wasn't convinced, "You act like you've forgotten all of the stuff you've done for me over the years, I don't want to just be useless!" She huffed, cross in her arms and flopping ungracefully back down in the chair across from him..

"Me?" His brows cocked up, he looked up at her from where he sat now. He didn't actually do much for her outside of what he had to do for his job...

"Yeah! You were the first person who didn't think I was crazy the minute you met me." well he didn't think that was a big deal, by society's standards, he wasn't too sure he's pass a sanity test himself, but he let her go on, "You always bugged me about sleeping and eating even when I'd chased Moblit away and everyone else forgot about me, you listened to my ideas and respected me with my work and these last two years you've saved my ass time and time over! Yeah maybe sleeping together was a mess up on both of our parts, but you've still been a good guy to me and making a cup of tea doesn't repay that!… It just doesn't." her lip was trembling, he couldn't read her expression though. Anger? Sorrow? He couldn't tell.

Did she think she wasn't doing enough as a friend…? His brain struggled to put words together that might have had a reassuring effect that she was a good friend, after all, just now she'd just said exactly what she meant and it actually made him feel a lot better about their friendship, and now it was his turn to reassure her… But how?

"Your tea isn't shitty…" He gazed steadily at her with his usual expression and waited to see her reaction. Okay so it wasn't as meaningful as it could be but-… Her eyes lit up again and she smiled.

"Haha… thanks." her smile crossed her face, welcoming and gentle, her eyes came up to meet his looking just as warm as her smile and there it was again; the shock he felt whenever that smile was directed at him, the one that made him feel like he was struck by lightening, only this time the shock wasn't so bad. Rather than being shocked into a state of disrepair, the shock passed through him like a strike of life bringing feelings, the kind he thought he wasn't able to feel again. It was strange… He never felt that way when he looked at her before, what had changed since yesterday? Ahh.. maybe it was just the tea?

"Ne, Levi, can I stay here?" she asked suddenly.

"The hell would I let you do that for?" it was amazing how she ruined the moment just that quickly.

"Oh come on, we just had a heart to heart right? You should let me stay here." She smiled, but then he noticed it, she wasn't looking too great herself, she looked exhausted, her eyes had bags of their own, and somehow she looked a bit anxious.

"Saw a ghost?" He asked with a sigh.

"Haha… Yes." she laughed. She was trying to hide it, but the real reason she'd gotten out of bed wasn't the water bed they'd given her to sleep on (she'd accidentally popped that earlier in the day anyway) it was the nightmares of fallen friends, their faces looking at her, dying… Even for her, it was tough to bear.

"Fine, but keep your dammed distance." he figured she'd sleep on the floor or something or he would, but she was in the bed before he could even finish replying, "Who said you could sleep here in the bed?!" He demanded, looking her up in down in shock as she snatched some of the blankets and made herself comfortable.

"Hey! I'm a guest to this room! You're supposed to be hospitable. The floor is clean, you can sleep there." his lip twitched at her answer and the stupid triumphant look on her face.

"Get out."

"No way!" She grabbed a pillow from behind him now and pulled the sheets up to her nose, "Goodnight then Levi~!" She sang in a sickly sweet tone that didn't match her voice at all. She closed her eyes and he scoffed in disbelief. Was she seriously staying? His face felt hot with frustration. She climbed her dirty ass feet into his bed without even brushing them off first, she-

Something warm wrapped around his hand and his internal rant cut short. He looked down and on his hand, he saw hers around it. That perplexed him. He didn't want her touching him, he didn't want her in his bed, sure he said she could stay but she was taking it overboard, but now that he thought about it… He actually felt calm, her hand on his wasn't so bad… It was almost soothing, but still.

"Why are you holding my hand?" He grunted.

"I want to." she replied as if it was the easiest thing in the world, "I had a theory that human contact with someone you're familiar with has a calming effect, I thought since we both seemed to have bad dreams I would take a chance to test it out." one of her eyes flashed open and he jumped internally out of shock, "Is it working for you?"

"Go the hell to sleep." He barked, flicking her on the forehead with his freehand before laying down on his back. He wasn't going to answer that, because he wouldn't lie to her.

He heard her snicker, but then her breathing came slowly almost immediately after. She was fast asleep. He peeked over at her from the corner of his eye. Her theory… seemed to hold water, he felt calm right then, calmer than he had in a long time.

"You fall asleep before I could answer your question, Four Eyes?" he mumbled to himself, eyes fixed on the ceiling as a relaxed feeling washed over him, "You asked if I really loved Petra. I did." he sighed, "But I don't anymore." He knew he didn't he couldn't have, because if he really loved her still, he wouldn't dream of her hating him, and he only knew that after his weird dream. Now he knew most of his reason was holding onto Petra was guilt, not love and he couldn't hold onto that anymore because that was only defiling any good memory he had of her. It was time to let her go, "I wonder when I stopped loving her…?" He wondered aloud, he wasn't sure when, he stopped loving her or even why, but he was sure something had to have shaken loose the feelings he had for the first women who made the idea of marriage seem almost nice to him.

Hanji shifted next to him, a doofy smile on her face as she snorted in her sleep, and he looked over at her. Who climbed into someone else's bed like this? If she drooled she would pay the consequences… But still, he wondered what she was dreaming of now. A moment ago she said she had a nightmare, now she was smiling in her sleep?

"Sawny…." she mumbled in her sleep. Of course she still thought about titans, he rolled his eyes, but there was still a faint smile on his lips.

"Abnormal in sight." he mumbled to himself. It honestly didn't matter to him that she was abnormal, he wasn't exactly a pillar of normality himself and he knew it, but still… Sometimes she didn't seem so abnormal, she just seemed like a person, a person who, was often distracting, but rarely boring. It was hard for him to admit it, but he actually really did enjoy her company. A wave of sleepiness washed over him, and he felt himself starting to drift off into a deep sleep, when a half baked thought popped into his mind; 'Maybe the tea wasn't the 'good' thing Petra said he would wake up to find.'

**It's time for Levi to get over Petra and maybe start realizing there are people better suited for him? *ahem* Hanji *ahem* . So that's it for this chapter, the next chapter is the ball… Wonder how that will go (most likely with lots of drama O_O)**


	15. Bell of the Ball

**The Ball**

**Oops sorry, I was a bit out of it, here's the right chapter. My** bad

**This Chapter's a little heavier than usual, but it's all for plot development, I promise.**

* * *

"Is it really necessary for me to wear all of this makeup and junk? I mean this dress is… tedious." Hanji frowned as she turned slowly in the mirror the dress they had her wearing was a huge puffy tan thing, her hair was pulled back in a tight bun with sparkly clips throughout the whole thing, her lips were painted this bright god awful red and her eyes looked huge from whatever gunk they'd put on them. She didn't look like herself at all.

"Ahh, yes Miss Hanji, we put a lot of thought into this, we used colors that suit your skin tone and tried to make your finer points stand out more like your eyes, and the dress really shows off your waistline." one of the women smiled. She was the most petite woman in the room who'd been fixing Hanji's makeup she hadn't been there the day before, and was far more pleasant than the other women, well actually they were all being considerably nicer since Hanji'd yelled at them, and the woman who'd pissed Hanji off the most was no where in sight, so today was far less dramatic, "You actually look quite beautiful." she went on her large hazel eyes lit up, and Hanji could tell she was being sincere.

"Beautiful?" Hanji looked at herself in the mirror again. The word sounded strange to her when it was directed to her… "Do I really look beautiful?" Hanji asked dumbly turning to the woman again.

"Yes, you do." the woman laughed daintily, before turning her head and flashing Hanji a cheeky glance, "I'm sure Levi would think you're really pretty." she smirked.

"Wait… What?" Hanji blurted, what did he have to do with this?

"Ahh, you don't have to look so surprised," another one of the women spoke up now, "We saw you leaving his room this morning, I never would have guessed you two were together at first, but I should have known after he calmed you down so quickly yesterday. I guess the power of love reaches the hearts of all women." she sighed dreamily. And Hanji cringed. She knew she should have left Levi's room earlier just to make sure no one saw her and misunderstood, but she was so comfortable in his bed and trying to figure out how to get her hand out of his without waking him took a while too…

"Whoa, wait, love?" Hanji stammered just catching onto the 'L' word, "Levi and I are just friends, I only went to his room to speak with him, but I fell asleep."

"Ahh, there's no need to be ashamed!" One of the women laughed, "You two seem sweet together.. in a weird kind of way. Did you fall in love while in the military? It but have been hard to fall in love and worry that the other isn't going to return." she women gathered around Hanji now, "Oh, Hanji, you must tell us, was it difficult?"

"Well it wasn't like that." Hanji insisted.

"He seems gruff, is he nice to only you?"

"Well, no, he's not really tha-"

"Do you have to keep your relationship a secret because of his job? We won't tell anyone we swear!"

"We're not in a-"

"Is he a good_ lover_?"

"Hold on!" Hanji yelled suddenly flustered, the women piped down a moment and Hanji could finally speak, "We're just friends is all, we're really not dating." she finally explained, "He treats me pretty much like all of his other friends and I do the same with him. We're close I guess, but we're not together." Hanji laughed awkwardly and the women pouted in disappointment.

"Really? I thought for sure you liked each other…" one of the women pouted, "Maybe he likes you and you don't realize it?" she offered suddenly.

"No way." Hanji snorted immediately.

"Yeah, maybe that's it! He must like you! Even when he stormed in the other day, his eyes were only on you."

"Well, looking at me kind of his his job."

"Ahh, aren't you at least curious if he likes you?" the most petite woman who'd been doing Hanji's hair frowned, holding Hanji's hand.

"Well, not really, I don't think it would change anything." Hanji shrugged. The women all let out an exaggerated groan.

"Oh, come on Hanji, it all sounds so romantic; Once working together in a hard life of the Survey Corps and now forbidden to fall in love because of his job to look after you. How could you not like him?" Hanji blinked at them confused. The military life was not romantic, they were covered in blood of titans and friends all of the time, and it wasn't really forbidden for them to fall in love since they weren't in love in the first place, but the pleading wide eyes of these women made it clear that nothing Hanji said could change their minds, "Miss Hanji, please just humor us, nothing romantic happens in our lives, let us at least see something a little romantic in your life."

Hanji opened her mouth to insist that things really weren't like that between them, but one of the women held up their hand and silenced her, "Okay, okay, so maybe you don't see him that way, but shouldn't you at least know how he looks at you?" Hanji opened her mouth to inform them that she never really thought about it, but they silenced her again, "Tell you what Miss Hanji, when you come down the stairs at the ball, look up on the balcony where the security team is supposed to be and see how he looks at you."

"Well of course he'll look at me it's his job!" Hanji snorted a laugh. These people were really funny, honestly, who thought so much about 'love' and junk?

"Ah ah ah!" the woman tutted, "I didn't say_ if_ he looked at you, I said_ how_ he looked at you." The woman put her hands on Hanji's shoulders and spun her to look at herself in the mirror, "No man would be able to tear their eyes off of the woman they like when she's dressed like this."

Hanji blinked at her own dolled up reflection for a moment. Did men really like all this gunk and dresses and crud? "Fine I'll do it." Hanji nodded knowing this was the only way to get them off of her back, and the women squealed in delight.

All of the commotion came to a halt as a heavy knock came on the door, "We're here to gather Miss Zoe Hanji and escort her to the ball." The voice of one of the guards came from the other side of the door.

"Guess that's me." Hanji smirked turning away from the mirror.

"Don't forget to look for Levi when you go out there! And tell us what his face looked like after all of the festivities!" the women gushed smiling as Hanji walked towards the door. How could Hanji forget? She doubted they would let her. Ah well, the very least she could do was look and prove them wrong, there was no way he would look at her differently.

"Humanity's Most Desirable has arrived near the ballroom staircase!" One of the men excitedly, "Wow, I've never seen her before, she's _gorgeous_." The young man gushed, his face flushing red. Levi rolled his eyes from where he stood at a table that had security plans on it. He was worried now, the young man might not be able to do his job correctly, since the man was clearly blind. Hanji wasn't the kind of woman people called gorgeous, mildly charming maybe, but gorgeous?… no.

"Pay attention to the plans." Levi grumbled, smacking the man on the back of the head.

"Sorry sir." The young man pouted, embarrassed as he looked down at the plans again. Levi nodded. At least the staff around here followed orders without question. They might have been young and inexperienced, but when it came to security matters they followed Levi's every order to the T.

"I have to go upstairs take my place on the balcony. You stay down on the ballroom level and keep your damn eyes out for any problems. Not dresses, not women. Problems." Levi growled. The man nodded fiercely, fear in his eyes. Scaring the poor little shit wasn't Levi's intention, but hey, if his fear got the job done, so be it.

"Good." Levi, grunted, turning on his heel and headed to the balcony, he arrived at the top of the stairs just in time to hear her name being announced.

"Arriving now; our guest of honor, Miss Zoe Hanji!" a voice boomed across the room. Only now arriving at the balcony, Levi's eyes lazily roamed from where he stood on balcony perpendicular to where the main staircase to the ballroom was. He watched the sea of people cheering below and scoffed. They were clearly not honoring her hard work, this much Levi had figured out. It must have been because she was humanities most desirable. His boss probably wanted to introduce her to some of these wealthy and powerful people so that she would get married the way Baasch seemed so excited about happening. "Pfft." Levi snorted, Baasch was going to be sorely disappointed, there was no way Hanji would like anyone at the party.

The doors opened slowly and every thought from Levi's mind melted away as she entered the room, and the lightening he'd felt the other day shot through his stomach. The clapping, the cheering, the smiles, all of that, was gone, he found himself standing now and slowly moving to the balcony railing to look closer. She looked so different, the dress was a big gown with lots of sheer sparkling golden and tan fabric at the bottom and the corset hugged her waist nicely, even from where he was he could see the soft red colour of her lips, her hair was clean for once and shone almost as nicely as her eyes did as they scanned the ballroom. This was not the Hanji he knew; she looked… She looked...

Reality came back when he really looked at her closely. Everyone kept clapping, yet he could see from where he was how she wobbled down the stairs, her eyes scanning the room anxiously. Was no one going to help her? She was clearly struggling. She neared the bottom of the staircase, but two steps from the bottom, she slipped and right at that moment she looked up, he swore she was looking dead at him, her eyes went wide, a clueless look was plastered to her face. Levi's hand shot out automatically towards her from the balcony, but below Erwin had seemed to fabricate from thin air and caught her gently around the waist, she looked up and laughed, and he smiled down at her. He'd nearly forgotten Erwin was here at the party too.

"Tch." Levi snorted, shaking his head pulling his still extended hand back to his side. That's right, she didn't need him there now, his job was to look after her from a distance tonight. As long as Erwin was with her he could look after her up close, she would be fine at this party… but it still didn't sit well in his stomach for some reason. He turned from the balcony, deciding not to let it bother him. Erwin could look out for her durning the party, but he would focus on her security, he still had some things he wanted to look into. Something about this party was strange to him, he needed to look into it before things got out of hand.

**-**  
**A few hours later**  
**-**

It was halfway through the party and a smile was finally spread over Hanji's face. She hadn't actually spoken to anyone but Erwin who had run off part way through the party to speak with some people who he knew. Everyone else at the party who'd come to speak with her only told her how much stuff they had, offered to buy her things, and she had no interest in all that, but now at this party Hanji had finally found her place. She stood far at the back of the room near the buffet, her eyes wide as the cakes in front of her.

"These are great! I should get these for the teashop! Do you know who made these?" She asked the young man who was standing at that buffet table. He shrugged with a smile and she shrugged back, happily munching on cake at least she was for a moment until her mind betrayed her and made her think of when she'd first walked into the ballroom and the look Levi sent her way. What kind of look was that really? He looked really shocked! Did she look really bad? She knew makeup didn't suit her but she hadn't expected him to look so shocked. "Hey, do you mind if I asked you something?" She asked the guy at the buffet again.

"Ah, I might get in trouble." he gave her a sorry smile and Hanji frowned. The man looked at her for a moment before looking around playfully, "But if the question is quick I don't think my boss would get upset with me for talking to the guest of honor." He smiled brightly.

"Good!" Hanji beamed back, "I just wanted to ask, what would you think if someone looked at you like this?" She tried her best to mimic the face Levi made when he saw her from the balcony, but it only made the man cringe.

"Is that person constipated?" he asked timidly.

"Aha, no, no. Hmm." Hanji scratched her chin trying to think of a better way to explain, "Okay there are two friends of mine, they've been friends for awhile and they get along, right?" the man nodded thoughtfully, "Well if one friend showed up dressed like this and the other friend looked at me- I mean the friend in the dress, with with that kind of face, then what kind of face are they making exactly?"

"Ahhh!" The man laughed now, "Your friend was probably shocked by how pretty you- I mean your other friend is. Maybe that person likes your friend and is only realizing it after thinking; 'wow, she looks beautiful'. The person looking at your friend might be shocked to think that your friend is so pretty and maybe that person is questioning their feelings for your friend?" the man smiled before looking away shyly, "A-at least that's what it sound like in my humble opinion."

"Pfft, no way that's not it." Hanji snorted after a moment before taking another bite of cake, "He must have really been constipated like you said before." Hanji nodded. That made way more sense than Levi thinking that she was pretty. The man at the buffet laughed and opened his mouth to speak again, but his eyes flashed up behind her and his mouth promptly shut.

"Miss Hanji, there you are!" Hanji nearly choked on her cake as she felt a hand snake around her waist. She spun around ready to attack when she saw it was Baasch.

"Oh hi." She coughed, trying to clear the cake from her throat.

"Sorry for scaring you." He smiled apologetically and held a glass of juice out to her.

"Thanks." She smiled, glad it wasn't alcohol and drained the glass in one go.

"Whoa! That was fast glad I brought you a drink," He laughed. Hanji thought to laugh too, but then she smacked her lips in curiosity, there was a chalky residue in her mouth, "I was wondering why you weren't speaking with the other guests though." Baasch frowned, but she wasn't feeling so hot now, she wobbled to the side a bit.

"Are you okay!?" Baasch asked helping her up.

"I'm fine." She said holding her head, she felt unsteady.

"Why don't you come over here and rest for a bit?" Baasch suggested pulling her to the side. She looked at him in shock, his face looked like it was melting, she knew it wasn't, but no matter how many times she blinked, he looked warped, the man she'd been speaking to at the buffet stand also looking melty, but his eyes, looked panicked now. Either way, Hanji nodded, and followed Baasch, she just needed to sit down.

"Where are we going?" She asked vaguely. She was so caught up in trying to figure out why she was feeling so strange that she didn't realize that Baasch had led her to the empty hallway rather than a table at the party like she'd expected.

"I thought you might want to sit down somewhere a bit more quiet since you're not feeling well." Baasch smiled with concern in his eyes. She felt heavy, her head was spinning, she felt bad for bothering Baasch, but she was really feeling off.

"Thanks." She smiled back, thinking how glad she was that someone was being kind.

"You can rest in my temporary office." he suggested opening a door. Hanji nodded entering the room, but the moment she walked into the room she felt her back slam against the wall. It happened so fast, Hanji barely had a chance to register it. She looked up to find Baasch's eyes and in them there was a hunger.

"What are you doing?!" She demanded pushing him hard away. He stumbled back and looked up at her with a dark smirk from where he stood.

"What men and women sometimes do, you don't want to?" He asked opening his ams and coming towards her again.

"No!" She yelled, she moved to punch him, it, but she wobbled to the side. Dammit! She knew very well that she could have fought him if she hadn't taken that dammed drink! She felt like a fool.

"Well even if you don't want me, that's okay" He said in a suddenly stern tone, "Even if it's not me, there are a lot of people who'd like to be with Humanities Most desirable."

Hanji looked over at him with hatred in her eyes, "What did you do?" She panted. She leaned her hands down onto her knees in a half ditched effort to keep from falling over.

"Nothing really, I just made sure your drink did more than quench your thirst." He sighed tiredly and Hanji felt so stupid as he said it. She shouldn't have followed him here, "Look, this whole party was just to see who was interested in you, my boss said we needed money. These people are loaded, they'll pay a pretty penny to spend a night with you, Miss Hanji." Baasch sighed sitting on his desk, "Sure I feel bad, but you know they might not be gentle right? You don't seem like the kind of woman who's been with a man before. At least I'd be gentle for your first time, I can't promise anyone else will,." He looked down now, "I'd rather not have to do this, but orders are orders." He shrugged with a sympathetic look on his face. Hanji scoffed, he had the nerve to pretend he was doing her a favor? One look at him and she could tell his reasons for offering her this was not sympathy at all, just lust.

"Let. Me. Out." Hanji growled,she stood up straight now, "Let me out!" She demanded, swinging hard at him, he sidestepped and her fist hit the desk, splintering it slightly under the force. Her hands stung, but she barely registered it. This was about escape, not pain, and she was not about to let him take advantage of her.

"I can't." He replied cooly, "There's a long list of people who have signed up to give money in exchange for a little fun."

"Not me!" protested, she stood up straight again, but the room was spinning and warping around her now.

"But we have paid for your expenses, you owe us Hanji." Baasch crossed the room and grabbed her by the face, and pulled. She looked at him, her eyes half lidded, she wanted to punch him, but she was fading fast, this was bad. But even in her state of panic she thought she'd helped save their asses! No matter how she looked at it, they owed her! But in the end they sold her out like this...

"Look," his finger traced her face as he spoke, "didn't you join the Survey Corps to help the people? Well, if you go through with this without a fuss, we will get a lot of money that can be used to help build up our town again." his lips came to her ear now and she cringed, she could hardly move no matter how hard she fought to, but she couldn't pull it together and as his eyes looked over her hungrily, she felt panic rush through her veins, "And I couldn't say it before, but when you walked in the ballroom earlier today, you looked like a Queen. Play your cards right and you just might be able to be one, you could have all of the money, all of the diamonds, pearls, and men you'd ever want." he licked the side of her face and she cringed.

"I don't care!" She struggled to say that much, her mouth was getting so heavy it was hard to yell.

"Ahh, I guess you wouldn't.." he chuckled darkly, "Either way, like I said before, you don't look like the kind of woman who's been with a man before, so I'll have mercy on you and make your first time gentle, okay?" He dragged her over to the desk and bent her over slamming her face down on it so hard that she heard her glasses crack, felt her lip burst from the impact, but all she could mange to do was let out a strangled sound.

She tried to kick back at him, but with her strength leaving her and her legs pinned against the table by his legs, she was having a hard time. He was hurriedly trying to pull up her dress now, but seemed to be having a hard time of his own getting through all of the fabric that made up the gown. 'Calm down' she told herself, 'Calm down or you won't be able to think straight and get out of this'. Hanji's eyes hurriedly scanned the room looking for anything she could use to get her out of this, and she saw it, a letter opener on the corner of his desk… She just needed to distract him.

"Please stop." She cried now, she sobbed as bitterly and pathetically as she could. By this point she'd gathered that the man was clearly sadistic, she figured he'd pull his attention away from pulling her dress up to gloat if she cried.

"There there, it won't be so bad." he cooed teasingly, she was right, he stopped fussing with her dress to pull her head up by her hair and the other hand went to stroke her face. Just what she needed, her arm swept across the desk, grabbed the letter opener and she swung around stabbing it in his arm with the last bit of strength she had.

He let out a sickening yell and she slid from the desk tumbling to the ground. She desperately crawled across the floor and around to hide under the desk while he fussed with the letter opener that was now lodged in his arm.

"Oh, you like to play rough huh?" He was… laughing? "We can play rough then!" He called. She looked around on the floor for anything she could find… but there was nothing… she didn't know what to do but, "LEEEVVVVIIIIIII!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. He promised her, before they got to the castle, he promised her she'd be okay, and if anything happened, he'd show up if she called for him. And she needed help, now.

"HAHAHAHAH!" Baasch barked a laugh, "Levi? You call for him? You two worked together right? Don't tell me you're together or something? Aww, and he told me you weren't with anyone before, he must be ashamed of you if he lied, but either way, he's not coming." Baasch's voice was teasing, she could hear him closing in on her, but then, there was a knock at the door. The room went silent a moment, before Hanji gained her senses and yelled, Baasch scrambled towards her, eyes desperate as he tried to shut her up, but it was to late, the door was kicked open.

"I heard her. Where is she?" Hanji'd never been so glad to hear his grumpy voice in her life.

"L-levi?" Baasch stammered, getting to his feet, "I-I haven't seen her."

"Don't fuck with me, you're sitting here bleeding on the floor alone in your office? Did you figure out what a piece of shit you were and decide you should be punished for it?." Levi walked right over to Baasch and picked up the entire, solid oak desk to find Hanji hiding under it, panting, lip busted, face bruised, dress torn and messy, but she still smiled up at him.

"Geez, took you long enough." she said lightheartedly, but she looked totally out of it, not herself at all, and all of a sudden Baasch looked like a titan. Levi's teeth gritted so hard it hurt. Had they really fought all this time to make the world a better place for people like this man to rise up and take advantage of others? Had Hanji fought as hard as she did to have some scum like this, some scum like half of the people at this party try to take advantage of her? Something snapped as those thoughts ran through his head in less than a second, and the next thing he knew, he'd kicked Baasch clean across the floor.

"A little bird told me you ran off with Hanji after giving her some shady ass drink. You tried to trick her huh? Was it worth it?" Levi's voice rang clearly through the room as Baasch stammered something, but then there was a sickening crunch as Levi kicked the man hard in the side.

"Levi?" She called, scrambling over to him. It was clear someone higher up than Baasch ordered for this to happen, which meant they had the power to make her life hell for not playing along with their little get rich quick scheme, and aside from that, Bassch was a pretty important man. If Levi kept beating the man like this, she doubted he would live, and more than anything they needed to get out of there. If someone saw this situation like this, they would immediately be arrested. The last thing Hanji wanted was to feel trapped again, not by the titans, and not by humans. "We have to get out of here Levi." she called frantically, reaching out to grab Levi's jacket, her eyes fixed on the door.

Only after hearing Hanji's voice did Levi stop beating Baasch. She was looking anxiously at the door, she must have thought it would be trouble if someone arrived. She was right to think so.

"Are you okay?" He asked in an urgent tone, leaving Baasch whimpering on the ground behind them. He took her face in his hand inspecting it, and his face turned dark again, he turned to look at Baasch, "I'm going to ki-"

"No time, if the guards show up, we're screwed, we should just leave." she was looking around frantically again, her mind going a mile a minute. This was supposed to be her second chance at a new life, so this was a nightmare right? This had to be a nightmare.

"This is bullshit." he grumbled, lifting her from the ground. This wasn't the first time this happened to her while he was looking out for her, first the men in that alley all that time ago and now Baasch...? What the hell did they even want from her? The stupid title they'd forced on her was more trouble than it was worth. He gave Baasch one last dirty look, he really did want to finish the job, but leaving now really was the most important thing. At least for now, Baasch would remain a lucky bastard.

"I don't have the energy to walk, I'm sorry." She mumbled, miserably.

"Don't apologize for things that aren't your fault." Levi growled, but he was shocked when he heard her let out a laugh, "What the hell is funny?"

"I'm useless now, right? That's why they did this. No matter what I did in the past… it doesn't matter to them when in the present I'm useless."

Levi felt her heave out a heavy sigh against him, he couldn't see her face from this angle, but he knew she was upset, and over something that wasn't even her fault, "Those old farts want money so bad they could go clean horse shit for money. You've done enough for humanity, serving humanity isn't your damn job. Screw what anyone else thinks, they're wrong if they want shit from you." He looked down at her, he could tell she was struggling to stay aware from the way her head kept bobbing all over the place. His gut clenched. She deserved better than this. "Let's go." He sighed carrying her out of the room.

"Where are we going?" She breathed half consciously.

"Away from here." He replied. They'd barely left the room when Erwin came barreling around the corner, nearly running into them as he looked anxiously behind himself. He had some papers in his hand that he was clutching to for dear life, but his face relaxed a bit as he saw them.

"We have to leav-" Erwin started but stopped the second he really took in what he was seeing, "Oh my god, Hanji what happened to you." he leaned in and looked at her with concern, what was left of his other arm lifted, but it quickly fell back to his side as if he just remembered there was no longer a hand there to reach for her with.

"Baasch." was the only word Levi ground out and Erwin closed his eyes shaking his head with disgust.

"Dammit! I was too late! I went digging around, found some paperwork showing a list of people willing to pay for 'time' with Hanji… Looks like I was too late." Erwin's face went dark as he looked at her closer.

"Thanks for trying, but either way I did manage to get out before anything really happened, so I guess it's not so bad." Hanji offered a small smile, but it only made Erwin and Levi's faces turn even more grave. Her bruised face attempting to smile was worse than if she'd started crying, but they both knew she wouldn't cry over that.

"We have to leave." Erwin said suddenly, "They have plans for you Hanji, and they're not good ones, we have to get away from the city."

"No!" Hanji yelled suddenly, they both looked at her in shock. Though she was in pain, the thought of leaving her teashop and the fun easy memories, all of the friends she'd made behind made her feel worse than her busted lip, she knew it would have to be done but that didn't mean she could leave behind the people that made her few weeks of a normal happiness suffer because of her. "If they go looking for me at the teashop, they'd attack Ben wouldn't they, we have to warn him at least."

"Hanji-" Erwin started.

"We have to warn him." Hanji looked dead seriously at him, "I won't just leave him behind, he's been kind to me, to all of us and if I have to crawl there you won't stop me." her tone was no nonsense, she meant every word. Earlier Baasch told her that if she played her cards right, she could be a queen, that she could have all of the diamonds, pearls and all the men she could want, but she really couldn't care less a bout that crap. Hanji would rather be called a Goddess by the regulars at a little hole in the wall bar in town with her friends around her, than be called a Queen by the entire population inside of the walls. Queen was a hollow title, her friends weren't with her as a Queen, but as a Goddess, she could have her own kind of happiness.

"Fine, she won't change her mind. Well just have to be fast." Levi went on sternly and Erwin nodded. Hanji smiled looking between them as they started running for the doors. That's right, if she was Queen, she wouldn't have good friends like this. Being a Queen would suck titan butt.

**Don't take drinks from strangers seriously, some people are just creeps… Like Baasch… I wrote this and it still made me mad that he messed with Hanji. Anyway, this is kinda an important chapter, it's touching on a lot few things that will take place in the near future of the story, but I think this might be the heaviest chapter in the foreseen future of the story.**


	16. Penny For Your Thoughts

**Escape**  
**Still own no snk, I'm just a lowly little shadow of a writer, who likes the snk characters and is obsessed with Levihan lately.**

"How are we going to get out of here?" Erwin grumbled darkly. He was fully aware that getting out of this situation was definitely going to be harder than getting in was. They really couldn't just stroll out with the guest of honor without somebody trying to stop them. There were sure to be guards that they would have to deal with if they were found too.. It was a grim looking situation.

Levi looked down at Hanji who was hardly conscious in his arms he might have even thought she was asleep had her eyes not fluttered open every few minutes. Looking at her like that, her corset covered in Baasch's blood, her dress torn from Baasch, her face was cut from her glasses shattering, her lips were bleeding still... he was pissed enough to fight everyone here if he had to and he would have too, if a small voice hadn't pipped up behind them.

"Pssssst! , that's you right?" Erwin and Levi flipped around to see a small woman peeking out from around the corner and waving over at him anxiously, "You need to get out of here right? I can help!" she whispered urgently as her eyes darted around the hallway. Levi had never seen this women before and he had no desire to trust her. How could he trust anyone here? He was about to tell her off when Erwin stopped him.

"She might be our best chance to get out of here safely." Erwin said quiet enough where the woman wouldn't hear, "If it's not a trap, we get out quietly, if it is a trap we can fight our way out. If there's a way to avoid a huge conflict, we should take it."

"Seems like either way there's a chance we have to fight our way out." Levi replied grumpily under his breath.

"Yes." Erwin said slowly, "But if this woman is telling the truth it's easier. I have the disadvantage of one arm, and you can't fight with Hanji in your arms." Erwin reminded him.

"Damn." Levi snarled. Erwin was right, as of now they had no choice but to at least try and take trust this woman. After a moment, they both walked over to the petite hazel eyed woman who'd called to them.

"Oh god look at her." The woman frowned, brows knit as she looked at Hanji in Levi's arms. She reached out to Hanji, but Levi moved Hanji away just before the woman's hands reached her.

"Why are you helping us?" He asked sternly glaring down at her. He really wasn't in the mood for tricks.

"I worked hard to make Miss Hanji look good out there! And she was surprisingly kind, even though today was my first time meeting her I thought she was nice," the woman yelled as she glared up at him. "I don't think nice people deserve to be treated this way." The small woman huffed, not backing down from Levi's glare. If he wasn't so pissed he might have been impressed. Hanji sure had a way of making interesting friends, it was actually the guy from the buffet who even came to find Levi and told him that Baasch was acting strange and had gone off with Hanji in the first place.

Levi looked hard at her, she looked genuinely upset, but that didn't mean shit to him... "Fine." he started, "But if you slip up and I think for a _second_ that this is a trap, you'll have to deal with me."

"Fine!" The woman huffed turning on her heel and leading the way for them.

They went through a series of hallways reserved for the workers before arriving at the room where Hanji had gotten ready in earlier.

"Why are we here?" Erwin asked first. He already knew Levi was not in the state of mind to be rational, and would immediately follow through on his promise to take action if he found her actions suspicious. Erwin would have to be rational enough for the both of them, sure this was a bit odd that they were in a dressing room rather than an exit, but he still felt there was a reason.

"When she entered the ballroom, everyone saw what she was wearing. I can help you leave, but only if you sneak past the guards, we're going to have to change her clothes at least to divert attention." the woman nodded frowning at the dress again, "It's going to be hard to get it off of her while she's like this…" the woman commented pulling out a set of plain man's clothes from a dresser. Her brows pulled together as she looked at Hanji again.

"I got it." Levi replied calmly, snatching a pair of scissors off of a nearby sewing table. With deft hands he'd cut all of the ties of the blood tainted corset and the ripped skirt right off of her. He gave her a quick once over, supporting her with one arm as his free hand glided over her ribs, waist and her left thigh where he saw bruising. There were no broken bones, but there was minor swelling, there was a small piece of glass from her smashed glasses stuck in her cheek, her busted lip would heal, and her under clothes seemed to still be in place. He felt a sigh of relief pass his lips as he realized he'd at least gotten there before Baasch had done something worse than a few cuts and bruises.

"Wow he really cares for her." The woman muttered, eyes wide in awe as she watched the scene in the corner of the room. Erwin looked over at her from where he stood next to her and said nothing, the young woman was right, but this was not the time or place to get into that. Erwin might have not shown it in the same way, but he was just as upset that this had happened s Levi was, had Hanji not been in the state she was in, Erwin might have helped Levi go back and take out Baasch, but he couldn't let anger cloud his actions now... not with Levi doing that now... Erwin had never seen him so anxious looking before. Fighting titans Levi was usually calm no matter what, but the rage on his face could not be hidden as he looked over Hanji.

"Levi… I can dress myself." a groggy voice filled the room.

"Shut up Four Eyes." his tone was far more gentle than his words, but only for a moment. "Get her some water." Levi demanded, looking at the hazel eyed woman that had led them here, "And I want to see you drink it first before you give it to her." he snarled.

"If I was going to sell you guys out I would have called the guards here already. I genuinely want to help." the woman huffed walking off to pour some water from a pitcher into a glass as Levi pulled a plain cotton shirt over Hanji's head. The woman turned on her heel with the glass now, walked right up to Levi, looked him dead in the eye, took a big gulp and then handed him the glass, "Happy?" she glared.

"No." He grumbled, taking the glass and giving some of the water to Hanji before putting it aside. He reached for a pair of plain brown pants now pulling it over her legs. All of his actions were rushed, he knew that they were short on time, they had to get out of here and fast. He pulled down what was left of her bun and covered her face with her hair. No good, he could still tell it was her. His eyes darted around the room landing on a a plain brown curtain. It would do. He snatched the curtain down and wrapped it over her shoulders and head, "Good enough." He grumbled looking at her now. _He_ couldn't even tell who she was.

"Let's get a move on then." The small woman pipped up, her brows knit on concern, "it will only be matter of time before people notice she's missing. We can go out through the back, but they might notice that it's strange if you're leaving your post Mr. Levi."

"I'll take care of that." Levi scowled, tossing Hanji's arm over his shoulder and letting her weight fall on him, "Let's go."

-

The hardest part of getting through the hallway was trying to look like they weren't in hurry. The handful of guards scattered through the hallway gave them funny looks as the strange posse of an ex-Survey Corp leader, a random attendant and their boss with what looked like a homeless man slumped over his shoulder. A glare from Levi made them hastily turn the other way. That at least made getting to the door not too difficult.

"Are you leaving Levi… sir…" The guard looking over the back exit asked them cautiously as he watched them.

"Yeah, a fucking drunk here was causing a problem." Levi replied calmly, "Erwin was helping me… for old time's sake and this damn attendant keeps following him around."

"Well look at him can you blame me? He's_ so_ handsome~!" The hazel eyed woman cooed looking up at Erwin dreamily. At least she played along well on short notice.

"I told you already, I'm not interested." Erwin laughed lightly.

The guards still looked suspiciously at the three of them, "We should call Baasch and just make sure it's okay that you're leaving the party…" one of them started.

Levi sighed and handed Hanji over to Erwin, "I was trying to avoid this, but-" in one quick movement he grabbed both of them by the neck and slammed their heads together so hard that they instantly lost consciousness.

Levi turned to face Erwin, took Hanji back into his arms before glaring down at the Hazel eyed woman, "You can leave now." he said flatly.

"Are you kidding!? I'm coming with you all!"

Ewin and Levi looked at each other a moment, "I don't think that's a good idea." Erwin said bluntly, as he now turned to face her.

"Yeah well, I've been working at the stupid castle all this time and it's not that great, the other women I work with are mean and boring! Miss Hanji was kind and you two seem interesting. I want to help as much as I can for as long as I can."

Levi would have grabbed this idiot by the collar and slammed her into the wall if he wasn't holding Hanji and if they weren't short on time, but they _were_ short on time and he _was_ holding Hanji.

"Do whatever the hell you want. I'm not looking out for you." He started walking to where he knew the carriages had been so that they could head into town, "If you fall behind at some point, that's not my problem, you'll have to figure it out. We're not returning here, so before you step in some shit that's deeper than you can imagine, I suggest you turn your ass around and go back to the damn castle." he snarled,

Erwin watched as the woman scowled at Levi behind his back, "I don't have anyone to miss me here, and I can hold my own. You're not chasing me off that easily." she grunted running ahead of them, "Besides I have my uses." she smirked as they reached where the carriages were. She went ahead of them now, scanning the lot as she ran before her eyes landed on a plain carriage with the horses still tied to it, "Perfect." she smiled to herself.

Erwin and Levi caught up to her just as she was climbing onto the carriage and fiddling with the door before it sprung open with a pop. Erwin rose his brows… Who was this woman?

"I'll imagine one of you will want to drive." she said smugly as she jumped from the carriage, "since you don't trust me." she snarled looking Levi coldly in the eye before walking around him to enter the carriage from the other side.

Erwin and Levi watched her for a moment before she disappeared around the other side of the carriage. Levi still wasn't in the frame of mind to trust anyone, he just wanted to get to the city as Hanji requested, drag Ben's ass into the damn carriage and get Hanji out of the city before things got really bad. He's let Erwin do all of the decision making about this woman for now.

"What do you think?" Levi asked simply, looking over to Erwin.

"I don't know… She seems like she wants to help us, but.." Erwin let the sentence trail off and Levi nodded understanding right away. Even if the woman wanted to help, she was still suspicious, "I'll keep an eye on her." Erwin assured Levi.

Levi started to say something, but he could hear shouting from the towers now they were shouting that Hanji was missing.

"Shit." Levi hissed, handing Hanji over to Erwin, "We don't have time for this. If she tries anything funny-" Levi looked Erwin dead in the eye and Erwin nodded. Erwin knew Levi expected him to kill the woman if she did something strange, and even though he found her suspicious because of her actions… Well he _had_ been working in the Survey Corps for many years he'd met many suspicious people… She was strange, but he didn't see her as a threat really, but if she did something strange he would incapacitate her without hesitation and he and Levi could decide what to do with her later.

Levi ran to get in the drivers seat of the carriage and Erwin quickly tossed Hanji up into the cart, with one arm, it was a bit difficult, and though he could feel Hanji weakly trying to pull herself up, it wasn't doing much, just then the hazel eyed woman reached over and pulled Hanji up.

"I've got you." she said softly, pulling Hanji up and placing her on the seat across from her.

Erwin moved to climb up next, the hazel eyed woman offered her hand to him… It was foolish of him if he really thought about it, but he was in such a rush that without thinking, he took her hand and she grabbed his, firmly pulling him up with a strength that it didn't look like she could physically possess.

Shutting the door behind him, Erwin banged hard on the wall of the carriage, indicating to Levi that they should leave now.

The carriage jolted to life and sped on towards the city to warn Ben. Erwin pulled Hanji close to him under his arm so that her head wouldn't hit the side of the carriage as it went over the rough terrain.

Erwin watched the small, hazel eyed woman across from him, as her eyes stayed fixed on Hanji. Did Hanji know this woman from before? Why was this person so interested in helping them? He couldn't really tell if they could trust her, but he had to start somewhere.

"What is your name." he asked flatly. The woman jumped as if she'd clean forgotten that Erwin was there. Her eyes roamed up from Hanji to Erwin now.

"Penny." she smiled, shadows of dimples appearing now on her face, "My name is Penny."

**Penny… can she be trusted her or not? What will happen to Ben? Will they make it in time? I haven't decided. Thanks for reading~ See you next chapter, also I think I'll be posting a new Levihan story soon because… I don't know it was three a.m I couldn't sleep and it just happened.**


	17. Like the Moon

**Boop.**

The world was dark, there was a bump, her mind awoke and everything that happened earlier in the evening popped into her mind. Baasch pushed her down, her face was smashed into the table, she crawled under a desk, there was a bang, Levi came into the room, something happened after that… what was it again? Where was she now? She felt the space around her shake violently and her senses came back to her all at once "Where am I!?" She exclaimed bolting upright, "What's happening?" She demanded flinging her arms wildly, if Baasch was there she wanted to hit him and hit him hard.

"Calm down, Hanji!" A calm familiar voice was calling, struggling to hold her flailing arms down at her sides so that she wouldn't hurt herself or anyone else, "We're on the way to town to get Ben right now. You're safe." Erwin assured her. Her brain slowly registered his face, she looked around now. A carriage? They were in a carriage? They were getting Ben?

"Are you okay Miss Hanji?" A gentle voice called from across from her. She faced the voice like a madwoman turning so forcefully it hurt her neck.

"You're… the woman who helped dress me? Why are you here?" Hanji asked with a groggy suspicion. This might have been one of Baasch's spies plotting to bring her back.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." The woman smiled gently. I just want to help… What Baasch did is wrong…" the woman sneered. Hanji could see the pure hatred for what had happened even in the darkness of the carriage. Hanji turned away and looked to Erwin. She'd trust his judgment of this person since he seemed to trust her enough to have her here in the first place.

"Her name is Penny, she's okay with us for now Hanji. We wouldn't have been able to escape without her help." He nodded seriously.

"Where's Levi? she asked now looking around the carriage. Had he been left behind? Had they escaped without him? She definitely remembered him being in the room… He must have helped her. What if he had he'd be in trouble if he was caught, was he okay?

"He's driving the carriage." Erwin assured her. She took a deep breath now. Everyone was fine, she was okay at least for now.

"Miss Hanji." Penny offered now in a small voice, "I'm very sorry for what happened today, I assure you I knew nothing about it or I would have said something sooner. I'd found out halfway through the party, I went looking for you but… I only found Mr. Levi and by the time I found him you were already like this…"Penny frowned.

"'Like this'?" Hanji reached up now and touched her sore face, "Ahh, it's not so bad, I've felt worse. The titans hit harder." Hanji laughed weakly, leaning away from Erwin now as her strength came back.

"Titans had different reasons… What happened tonight was just… wrong." Penny replied somberly. She wasn't wrong about that, but it wasn't something Hanji wanted to put in her head right now.. Right now she just wanted to appreciate the fact that she was okay, if she focused on how angry she was, she really felt she might have given up on humanity at that point.

Hanji wouldn't let what happened get to her, not the way some people looked at her in town with lusty eyes as they looked right over her and wanted her title only, she would ignore them, because she'd met a lot of kind people too. The carriage bumped to a stop she heard shuffling outside, the door swung open. Two grey eyes stared up at her wide and full of concern.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Have you been awake long?" Hanji blinked at the onslaught of questions.

"I'm fine, I just woke up, but I feel a lot better." she assured Levi as she moved to exit the carriage. She was lying of course and of course he could tell right away as she went to move out of the carriage and nearly fell out. She laughed it off, but he kept a steady eye on her.

"What do you need from inside?" Levi asked once she was on the ground. He was scanning the rooftops with his eyes. He was sure the military police had followed them, and more sure that they wouldn't play nice to get her back now that they thought she was a good source of money… Tch, as if he'd let them get away with that shit.

"I need the stuff for Erwin's arm, Ben, my shop assistants safety." Hanji said sternly. Those were the things that mattered.

"Alright." Levi nodded before turning to the carriage, "Erwin, keep an eye on the building… and on Penny." He tagged on the last bit giving Penny a harsh glare before turning back to Hanji, "I'll take care of Ben and your staff, you get the stuff you need. Be quick about it." He warned turning to enter before she did.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Hanji learned a long time ago the feeling of anxiety in the air and the feel of oncoming trouble, she just never thought that oncoming trouble would still exist when the titans were gone. With a frown, she turned to enter her teashop for the last time.

-

Hanji burst into the building like a madwoman as she ran for the stairs. Her head was throbbing from whatever was left of the stuff Baasch put in her system. She could hear Levi and Ben talking loudly and the sound of shelves opening and closing in the back of the shop as she flew up the stairs. She ran straight for her room with her mind on one thing; the blueprints for Erwin's arm. For once she was thankful her other research was lost, everything that was scattered on her desk was related to Erwin's arm. Grabbing a burlap bag, she snatched up all of the papers and hurriedly shoved them in the bag, she looked around the room, what else would she need? Underwear, chest wrappings, pants, a few shirts, those al went in the bag as well. Through the open doors to her balcony she could hear shouting in the distance; Military Police. There wasn't much time left.

She was flying down the stairs now as quickly as she could. She could hear that Levi and Ben weren't in the building anymore, she didn't want to be there much longer either. Hanji went for the door past where all the tea was stored and paused… The tea. It was a mad dash as she jumped over the counter and shoved as much tea as she could into her bag before heading for the door again. Just as she reached the door, she could hear the thumping of horseshoes coming up the road and she made a flying leap back into the carriage.

Gray anxious eyes looked at her as she slammed the door shut behind her, Levi slammed his hand on the inside of the carriage and it took off down the road flying.

Hanji panted, holding her hand to her burning chest and tried to ignore the way her head was spinning. She'd made it.

"What the hell took you so long?" Levi demanded, taking her bag from her and placing it on the empty seat across from them. Something tumbled out on the floor, he ignored it for the moment, his full attention was on her. He was still on high alert from everything that had happened earlier, if someone crashed into this carriage right this moment and tried to take her back to that damn party he was ready right in that moment to beat them senseless.

"I… had… some… things to get." she panted still her head was spinning a bit, but she really didn't want to lie down again. If she closed her eyes, she might fall asleep and dream she was still stuck with Baasch again… that was not what she wanted.

She took a good look around the carriage now Levi herself were the only ones there, "Erwin… Ben… the woman from before… Penny? Where are they? And my staff!?" She asked in alarm, had Penny hurt Erwin or something? Was her staff from the teashop safe?

"I sent your staff away and informed them of the situation. They wished you all of the best. Erwin is the only one allowed to leave these gates without a problem, so he's upfront keeping an eye on Penny, Ben volunteered on driving since we still can't trust Penny and Erwin's whole lack of arm situation." Levi explained.

"I see." She let out a deep breath… "Everyone is okay." She puffed leaning her head against the door trying to catch her breath. Levi stared at her a moment, she was winded and even in the dim moonlight filling the carriage, he could tell she looked a little pale, yet here she was worrying about everyone else, when she'd had the toughest evening out of everyone. She was always like that. Even when they worked Survey Corps together, he hadn't figured it out until later but, the reason she was so crazy was because she was dedicated to freeing humanity. She didn't care what she had to risk if it meant freeing humanity, but now they were free… When would she stop?

"Oi, worry about yourself a bit, huh?" Levi huffed digging through the bag he'd snatched up from the teashop.

"Well I'm out of danger now aren't I?." she laughed, it was a dead and empty laugh, not like her usual one at all. He hated it.

"That doesn't make what happened tonight okay." Levi grumbled. She watched him. He looked more bothered than she did. Was it because he felt like he wasn't doing his job right? She thought he was doing fine, he'd saved her hadn't he?

"Why does it bother you so much Levi?" She asked innocently. His mouth twitched with displeasure as he pulled a first aid kit out of the bag he'd been digging through.

"I'm tired of cleaning wounds." he replied with a dark look as he poured some disinfectant onto a piece of gauze. He reached out and dabbed the damp cloth to cut on her cheek. Her nose wrinkled as she flinched at the stinging, "I thought when the titans were gone, there would be no more wounds to clean. I thought people would stop fighting each other over supplies in the streets because when the titans were gone we wouldn't have to ration everything." Levi gently placed a plaster over her cheek.

"I guess people don't fucking change." he muttered under his breath as he went to clean the cut on her lip now, "The time since I've been looking over you, people have been using the shit out of you and it's fucking annoying. The guards who snuck in to watch you bathe, the guys who attacked you in the alley, Baasch, everyone at the party." he placed a plaster on her lips now and backed away to look her in the eye, "Humanity even without the titans… is fucked up."

"That's not true." she answered immediately with a soft look in her eyes, but he didn't get it at all.

"You're too hopeful, Four Eyes." he replied dryly. Even like this, she was still looking for the silver lining, was she brave or stupid…? Those were easy to confuse, especially with her.

"Probably." she shrugged before leaning down without warning and resting the back of her head on his lap. He froze, he was unsure what to do as she stared up at him with tired eyes, "People have always been pretty hurtful, but you're a human and your nice, right?" she smiled weakly.

He started to remind her that he was not nice, but she seemed to need to believe that for now, he'd remind her later… Right now, her eyes were dark, the light usually shining in them was gone and it wasn't just because of the dim light of the carriage. They'd known each other well enough for him to know that this was harder for her than she was letting on…

She closed her eyes entirely quiet for a moment, he thought she might have fallen asleep, but then she spoke.

"You know." she hummed thoughtfully, "Before when I was all dressed up, the people who helped me get ready thought you had feelings for me."

"Pfft." Levi snorted at her sudden statement.

"I know! That's what I said!" she exclaimed with disbelief "They said, that if you saw me in a dress and stuff they'd realize you liked me or something… I told them you wouldn't, but I wonder if that's what normal people do. Do they just get dressed up in order to mate? Or get dressed up to fall in love with whoever has the best dress or nicest suit? I mean I've never been in love but something about that sounds strange."

"I wouldn't know." Levi sighed moving his eyes to look down at her, "I've never been normal." he was being serious, but she laughed. He was glad her laugh sounded normal now; obnoxious and carefree, not that dead laugh she'd given a moment earlier.

They were silent for a long while after that. She was staring out of the window and at the stars silently glad that Levi hadn't pushed her off of his lap yet. He was being surprisingly patient this evening. She was grateful for that, just like when she held his hand the night before, being nearby to someone familiar was really comforting, and she was a bit freaked out by what had happened earlier even now; she kinda needed that comfort. She didn't even want to think what would have happened if Levi hadn't have shown up when he did.

No, she didn't want to think about what might have happened, she would keep looking at the stars… well actually, she was trying to see the moon but the outline of Levi's face was getting in the way, and she found herself staring at him now instead. He was looking out of the window too, she could only see the outline of his jaw and nose, a bit of hair...

As if he could feel her staring, he looked down at her. Her eyes locked on his, "Levi." she called softly, unblinking as she stared up at him.

"Hmm?"

"You know, you remind me of the moon." she hummed.

"What shit are you spewing now?" he scoffed, but he didn't look away, he didn't even blink.

"I studied a little astronomy you know. I heard that the moon is always there. Even when the sun is out the moon is still there, the sun just shines so brightly that you can't see it, but it's still there." she hummed, "You're like that; always there. Even when I'm running around and living my life however I want, you're always there looking out for me even when I can't see you."

"Since when are you a poet?" but that question didn't come out quite as biting as he intended it to.

"I'm not a poet." she chuckled, "But you remind me of the moon." she closed her eyes and yawned now, the drugs were still in her system and kicking in, "I forget about the moon sometimes, but it's really dark without the moon you know. Without the moon I doubt we could even see to get out of the city right now. Without you I'd be in a pretty bad situation right now." she yawned again, settling in and he could tell she was drifting off, "See? You're similar. The moon is nice too."

She didn't say anything else, she just drifted off to sleep. He wasn't sure what to make of that, but it had an effect on him, an effect that was trying to ignore since earlier in the evening when he'd seen her walking down the ballroom stairs… The moment he'd seen her he immediately thought; _'She's beautiful, but she's better without all that junk on'._ It was a stupid thought, it shocked him that he even thought it, but now he was doubting himself. Had he really just been looking after her because it was his job all of this time? Because if it was just his job, he wouldn't have saved her… Hell saving her just cost him his job.

He looked down at her sleeping bruised face and sighed. His hand found it's way to her hair. He stroked it back, it was softer than usual as it was clean and brushed, it felt like silk running through his fingers. He was glad she was asleep now, because he really wasn't sure how he could have responded to what she'd just said… not with how he was feeling right now. It was more than a friendly feeling, and now he had no choice but to admit it. When he'd seen her hurt, he wanted what hurt her to go away, he wanted to protect her, and that was because… Ah… Shit… Admitting it now wouldn't change anything… Later. Maybe after the scars heal and she'd settled in to where they were all going now… Maybe then. He sighed heavily and leaned his head back against the back of the seat leaving his hand resting on her head.

He was tired now… He vaguely wondered how long it was going to be before they got to the wall, how long before they arrived to Erwin's village… He wondered it for a moment, how long before he could sleep, because until he was sure Hanji was 100% safe he wouldn't be able to sleep. Not until his friend who his feelings were becoming too complicated for was safe, would he be able to sleep… This was going to be a long night.

**This was a difficult chapter to write, I feel like it's time one of them start acknowledging their feelings already, and what better time then when you're high on adrenaline and your person of interest falls asleep on your lap? Ah, I hope I wrote it well, next chapter will be in Erwin's village :o**


	18. Don't Ask

**A new Town feat. Levi's feelings**  
**Mwaha drama shall ensue :)**  
**I own no snk.**

There was a warmth, a comfortable warmth against her cheek. She really wasn't sure what she was laying on or why she was laying on something warm, but she liked it a lot. Something was stroking her hair gently, she liked that more than the warmth, it felt safe and nice, she fell even deeper into her slumber as a feeling of security washed over her for the first time that night.

_'It smells green"_ Hanji thought to herself as consciousness came back to her, "_It smells green and fresh… Like outside… Where am I?_"

"What the HELL is going on back here?" A vaguely familiar voice demanded, "We are upfront trying to save Miss Hanji and you're back here giving her a lap pillow?! You little FIEND!" Hanji's eyes snapped open, light harassed her eyes, but she ignored the way the sudden burst of light made her head ache, she sat up in a rush, to see that young woman from before standing in the carriage doorways holding the doors open with a look of horror and disbelief on her face.

"What's happening?" Hanji demanded mentally readying herself for a fight, her arms flung up in fists ready to swing if need be.

"Hanji relax." Levi's hand came down over her fist and held it still from behind her, she spun around and saw him looking tiredly at Penny. He looked like he hadn't slept at all last night.

"What are you doing running off like that?!" Erwin demanded, yanking Penny out of the doorway with a deep scowl on his face. "You think you can just do as you please? We still don't trust you."

"Oh please! I followed you guys out here to the middle of no where and you still think I'm a threat?! There's nothing I could possibly do to harm you guys out here! If anything,_ I'm_ the one who's the most at risk!" Penny shouted, her hazel eyes full of frustration as she yanked her arm back from Erwin.

Hanji blinked dumbly from Levi's scowl, to Erwin's grimace, to Ben's dirty look, and down to Penny's frustrated glare in confusion. "She has a point." Hanji shrugged rubbing her head, "There's not much she could do out here." Ben and Erwin looked at Hanji in shock, Penny looked up at her with a big smile now and huge glistening eyes.

"Thank you for believing in me Miss Hanji." Penny gushed reaching out for Hanji, but a loud slap rang through the air as Levi smacked Penny's approaching hands away.

"She could have been sent to kill you if you got away." Levi stated nonchalantly, "You really think they'd be okay with their idea for money running off on them? They might be mad that you ran off and want you dead. Think a bit Four eyes." he knocked his fist lightly against the side of her head. Hanji nodded slowly. He was right, she actually hadn't thought about that,and it wasn't like Penny had a reason to help her anyway.

"Don't let that man make you change your mind about me!" Penny insisted with desperate eyes, "I really did just want to help!" Penny reached for Hanji again, but Erwin held her back.

"For what reason?" He asked flatly, blue eyes cold and emotionless.

"Because from the time I saw Miss Hanji I knew I wanted to help her out no matter what! That's why I worked so hard to make her look nice!" Penny pouted , clean ignoring everyone but Hanji as she pleaded.

"Why do you even care so much to help her? It's not like you've even met before." Ben asked thoughtfully despite the scowl on his face as he watched Penny squirming to try and get to Hanji.

"Maybe I've met her before or not is not, that's not the issue here! I just… I-" Penny's face went bright red, "I just want to stay by Miss Hanji's side!" Penny yelled desperately.

Everyone stared at her in shock, Erwin nearly lost his grip on Penny's arm as the words sunk in. Penny's heavy breathing was the only sound that filled the space of the carriage as she stood in the doorway.

"You must be mistaken!" Ben coughed finally breaking the silence, "Don't you know Levi and Miss Hanji are dating?" Ben huffed pointing between Hanji and Levi.

"We're not." Hanji chuckled immediately, she waited for Levi to back her up, but he sat quietly behind her. She figured he must have thought it went without saying, she turned to face him, but he was moving before she could even see him.

"You're lying you little shit." Levi snarled moving around Hanji and stepping out of the carriage so fast everyone barely caught it as he grabbed Penny by the collar and slammed her back up against a nearby tree, "Do they pay you that well at the castle that you're willing to lie this long?" He snarled, digging her back into the bark of the tree. Everyone looked shocked by the sudden outburst, everyone but Penny that is, Penny stared cooly up at Levi looking him dead in the eye before leaning around and calling to the others clean ignoring him.

"Do you mind calling off the dog? I can probably explain myself better if I'm not being half strangled." She called calmly. Levi, out of frustration, dug her back more into the bark, but she merely raised an eyebrow and stared at him defiantly.

"Levi." Hanji barked stepping out of the carriage, "Let her go, we can listen to her explain herself at the very least, if we believe her we believe her, if not, we'll figure out another arrangement for her." Hanji rubbed her eyes tiredly, "There's been enough violence for this week, let's just try another way."

Penny gave him a self satisfied grin and it really took everything in him not to end her right there. She was annoying, he didn't trust her, she was starting a lot of drama and talking shit, he was too tired to deal with her shit and Hanji was standing up for her which irritated him even more.

"Why don't we go inside and talk this all over some more." Erwin interjected, placing his hand on Levi's shoulder. Levi flashed a dirty look at Erwin, but let Penny go before shrugging off Erwin's hand.

"Where are we staying while we're here?" Evi asked, still on edge, as he looked around where they'd pulled up in the carriage for the first time. They were in a clearing in the woods, there were small gardens near the 7 or 8 simple wooden homes, a large open field and a barn that near the field. It was nice, quaint, the kind of place that felt homey and comfortable, a foreign feeling to Levi, and one he wasn't in the mood to get used to right now.

"The big house across the clearing is mine. There are a few guest rooms, you are free to use whichever ones you like." Erwin nodded pointing to the biggest home in the small village.

"Got it." Levi turned to Hanji, "Are you staying to interrogate this little shit or what?" Levi asked jerking a thumb to Penny who scowled at him again.

"I am very curious." Hanji nodded thoughtfully. Levi shrugged and was about to tell her to do whatever she wanted, but then Ben spoke up.

"But Hanji, look how pale you are!" He fussed taking her by the shoulders, "And the bandages on your face need to be changed, as well as those clothes! Look, you have blood on your arms and hands." he fussed holding up her hands to inspect the dry blood that was on her from when she'd stabbed Baasch's side.

"I'm fine." she insisted, "It's not the first time I got blood on my hands." she sighed.

"No no no! That won't do, Levi." Ben called to Levi who'd been staring curiously at the old man, "Take her inside and make sure she gets cleaned up, I'm sure Erwin and I will be able to take care of Miss Penny here just fine." Ben nodded firmly, ignoring Hanji insisting that a little blood on her was fine, when it clearly was not.

"Hanji, we are more than capable of handling miss Penny here, please go inside and rest a bit more. We'll make sure you can ask her whatever you want later on." Erwin said firmly, grabbing Penny by the arm. Hanji was pretty sure that they were not letting her get out of this one…

"Fiiine." she whined. "I'll go take a bath and rest." she shrugged walking towards the house Erwin had pointed out before.

"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say that." Levi snorted tailing after her, she laughed and fell back a step so they walked side by side to the house.

Ben and Erwin watched the two go towards the house, Levi glanced back at Erwin in a moment where Hanji looked away from him and gave him a grave look. Erwin knew immediately what it meant. Levi wasn't messing around a moment ago when he'd slammed Penny into that tree, he would've killed her if Hanji hadn't intervened and whether Penny lived or not, he still didn't care, it was clear he was just respecting Hanji's opinion. Erwin was still really hesitant about Penny as well, but he wasn't quite as hesitant as Levi seemed to be. He thought that at least by now Levi would have cooled off a bit from what happened last night, but he seemed to be just as agitated as before… It couldn't be that he finally- No… this wasn't the time to think about that. Erwin looked down at Penny who was practically whimpering as Hanji walked away and he could feel impending drama from this small, auburn haired, hazel eyed woman…

Ahh, and to think how simple his life was before he'd gone to the city to visit Hanji, but he should have known adventure would follow if he went to visit his old friend, heh, adventure suited him better anyway.

**-Twenty minutes later-**

Penny sat at a table across from Erwin and Ben with a deep frown on her face, "She didn't even look back at me once…" Penny whined folding her arms and resting her head on her folded arms, "I just bared my soul and said I wanted to stay by her side and she didn't look back once." Penny looked like she was on the verge of tears, but Erwin wasn't buying that this was sincere just yet.

"What makes you so important that she should look back?" Erwin asked sitting down across from her, bringing himself to her level a bit, make her feel more willing to be casual, a trick he'd learned back at the survey corps.

"It's not like I'd expect you to remember." Penny sighed heavily.

"Remember? Remember what?" Erwin asked suddenly curious. He's pretty sure he would have remembered someone as strange as Penny was.

"My village had been destroyed by the titans right before there disappearance, you, Levi, Hanji, you were all there, I saw you, you flew around like birds and took down so many titans, but…" Penny paused, a look of pain came over her delicate features, "My mother was attacked and killed by a titan before Levi could get to it, I watched as the titan ate my screaming mother alive, I couldn't even run… It almost got me too, until Hanji swooped in and scooped me up and brought me somewhere safe to hide out. Hanji smiled at me brightly even though she as wounded and she told me just to keep my head down and that everything would be okay…" Penny smiled thoughtfully, "I'd loved Hanji in that moment you know… Seeing Hanji again all these years later was shocking! I had no idea Hanji was a woman until then actually, but it doesn't mean I feel any different… I still want to stand by her side… I still want to repay her for all that she did for me back then. I worked so hard so that I would be able to stand by her side, but then let's face it… She doesn't need me… I see that now." Penny slumped down in her seat looking utterly defeated.

It was a lot for Erwin to take in… It easily could have been a lie, it easily could have been her coming up with something off of the top of her head to save her ass, but as he thought back, he did remember her, "You." He pointed a finger at her, "You had long braids, you were so small, i thought you were a child." Erwin nodded slowly, "I remember you." Penny looked up now, tears still threatening to spill over her lashes.

"That's right, I had long braids back then." she nodded firmly, "I didn't think anyone would remember me, but I wish it was Miss Hanji instead of you." she let out a short humorless laugh.

Ben watched Penny's pathetic looking frown from where he stood in the doorway and sighed heavily. Ben had always been pretty good at reading people… and he believed this young lady somehow. He believed every word of what she'd said.

"Ahh, Hanji, Hanji Hanji, she just goes around stealing hearts where ever she goes doesn't she?" Ben sighed, "But you do know you can't force your feelings on her right?" Ben asked switching to his usual fatherly tone rather than the harsh one he'd used with her earlier, "Miss Hanji is as dense as a brick, so if you force your feelings on her, they're probably not going to sink into her, but push her further away from you." Ben nodded.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to give up!" Penny piped up, wiping away her tears and looking up with a look of determination planted firmly on her face, "I'll never give up on her, I'll just have to make her notice me!" Penny yelled standing up and smacking her hands on the table.

The sound of Levi yelling at Hanji laughing echoed through the upstairs hallways leading everyone in the room to loose their train of thought and look up. Erwin smirked as he looked at the frustrated look on Penny's face as she heard Hanji's laughter ring through the house as Levi went on yelling before hearing them running down the hall and the sound of a door slamming.

"No one's telling you to give up, but if you're looking for her affections, it might be a long and hard road." Erwin smirked standing up, "You may stay though, but I suggest you be on your best behavior around Levi, I can only convince him to trust you so much." Erwin smiled politely standing up and heading for the stairs, the second to last room on the left can be yours, Ben your room is the one across from that for now, the rooms are small, but they can fit you."

"Ah, I have to go get Hanji's bag from the carriage, I just remembered she'd left it in there, I'll look at the room later." Ben smiled heading for the door.

Penny sat with her arms crossed at the table a little longer. It was pretty clear that Penny just didn't want to see what was going on up there. Erwin walked away to go to the common area… He'd let them have their time alone, they probably needed it after the stress of last night.

**-What was happening upstairs during Penny's interrogation-**

Hanji came up the stairs and immediately made a beeline for the bed. It was shocking to her how tired she could be even though she'd slept all through the night, this was indeed an odd sensation for her. She was so tired in fact, that she'd noticed nothing about the room except for the bed, which means she forgot that Levi had been trailing after her. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her back right before she got into bed.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" she whined tossing her head back.

"You still have blood on you, it's filthy." he sneered looking at the blood on her arms and hands.

"I'll take a bath_ after_ I sleep." she insisted, turning back towards the bed, but Levi spun her around again.

"No. Bathe now, sleep after." Levi turned on his heels and went down the hall to where Erwin had told them the upstairs bathroom was.

Hanji sighed as she realized she wasn't getting out of this one, but her annoyance went away as soon as they entered the bathroom. here were pipes in the room, a rudimentary system of running water, something she'd worked out at the Survery Corps Barracks.

"Whoa!" She squealed running into the bathroom to look at the pipes, "It looks as though Erwin's implemented a heating and cooling system here too! Even a separate pipe to drain the water once bathing is complete!" She was buzzing around like a fly while Levi filled the tub with water.

"I really wished that I'd had enough time back in the barracks to have put this much detail into the system, Erwin really took what I sketched out before and ran with it! Did you know I started this as a way to capture titans, but then I saw the use it could have in our everyday lives? Not that it mattered when we moved around so much." Hanji laughed heartily.

"Mhmm." Levi hummed as the tub filled.

"Oh man, I _have_ to ask Erwin for his notes on this, you know how much I could do with that? It might even come in handy one way or another for his arm." Hanji pondered. Levi shut off the water for the tub as it was finally full.

"Oh man Levi, this is great! Isn't it exciting how- Hmm?" Levi picked her up, "Hey Levi what are you- EEK" and dropped her into the water, How could you be so sudden?" She sputtered spitting out soap bubbles, "I didn't even take my clothes off!" she protested.

"The clothes are dirty too." Levi sighed reaching over the side of the tub to scrub her arms with a nearby wash cloth. She blinked as she watched his tired face as he meticulously scrubbed the blood from her skin.

"Hehe." she chuckled, "It's just like the old days." she relaxed a bit in the hot water as it loosened her muscles.

"Tch. This is very different from then, Four eyes." he went on to scrub her next arm.

"Well, yeah maybe we're in a new place, but no matter what you alway insist on giving me a bath." she sighed undoing the buttons on her shirt with her free hand. His own hands froze. He threw her in with her clothes on for a reason, he was still a bit shaken from the other night, still trying to accept that his feelings for her were more than friendship. Sure he'd seen her naked before, but he knew very well that this was a very different situation. Seeing her naked now would carry a different weight and as tired as he was now, he wasn't sure if it was a weight he could bare.

"Keep it on." he grabbed her hand and she looked up clearly confused.

"But how am I supposed to-"

"Do it when I'm gone, Four Eyes." he countered weakly, before standing up and turning to leave the room. She stared at him a moment and immediately realized something was wrong with him. He never cared if she was naked or not before, was it the bruises on her sides that he didn't want to see? Why not? They'd fade, it's not like she wanted them there anyway, he was just being a big baby.

He was right by the door, about to leave and she was having none of it, she hurriedly slipped off the shirt, "Hey Levi catch!" She yelled throwing the shirt right as he moved to turn around, it hit him right in the face before slowly peeling off and landing on the ground with a loud 'plop' revealing his deeply scowling face.

"What the hell Hanji!" He boomed, forgetting entirely that she was naked as he ran over to kick her ass, she cackled loudly climbing out of the tub as he stormed over to the towards her. She flew out of the tub and narrowly avoided being caught by him as she ran for the bathroom door and down the hallway to where her room was. She let out a louder laugh as he yelled at her again, right on her heels, his face still dripping wet and hair clumped together with water.

"My mouth was open when you threw that dirty ass shirt!" He boomed down the hall, and she laughed louder as she darted into her room and tried to slam the door shut behind her, but his foot slid in and help the door open. Still filled with giddy laughter, she turned and looked for an escape, the was nothing, she went to dive across the bed, and slip under it so that she could run back out of the door, but she messed up and instead ended up diving halfway across the bed and getting a mouthful of sheets. She tried to crawl away, but by then, Levi already grabbed her ankles, spun her onto her back and pinned her down to the bed with a scowl.

"What the hell, Hanji?" he growled, but she kept on laughing giddily, "What are you laughing at?" he demanded.

"Nothing, I'm just glad you don't look all far away like you did a moment ago." she snorted, "You looked like you didn't even want to be near me." she calmed down a bit and smiled, "If it's because you're worried I might be uncomfortable because of what happened last night, don't worry about it." She assured him, "Being close to Baasch and being close to you are different things, you've already seen me naked and stuff so I don't mind." she shrugged, she expected him to scoff and roll off of her, but he kept staring at her with a somber look.

"How is it different?" He breathed still pinning her down to the bed, he could feel her bare chest pressing into him, her eyes were bright and excited as she stared up at him, her lips were so close to his own that if he'd just tilted his head a bit, they'd be touching hers… His self control was something he had to put up consciously, and right now he was too tired to keep it up, this timing for this moment was just bad. If he said he didn't want her he'd be lying.

"Because you're my best friend silly." she laughed lightly. That brought him back to reality. Best friend. That's right they were friends, just friends, what was he thinking? He pulled back now and looked down at his now damp shirt that displayed an outline of her front side on it and he sighed… Now he had to go change.

"Change your bandages and get some rest." he instructed.

"Oh wait!" She exclaimed sitting up, my clothes are down in the carriage."

"I'll get it." he sighed, his clothes were down there too.

He left the room and headed for the stairs before running into Ben who was coming up the stairs.

"How did the interrogation with Penny go?" Levi asked immediately.

"Fine." Ben shrugged, "Seems you guys saved her life before hen the titans were around, left quite an impression on her you know, especially Miss Hanji." Ben smiled, holding up a bag in his hands, "Speaking of Miss Hanji, she left her clothes in the carriage, thought she might need them since she was bathing." Ben smiled.

"Ah, I was coming to get that." Levi said taking the bag.

"Careful getting the clothes out, she seemed to have grabbed a lot of expensive teas on her way out, don't want to spill that." Ben chuckled, before going quiet a moment.

Levi looked in the bag. There really was a lot of tea in there packed in tight above the clothes… He knew she didn't drink tea often enough to care if she'd brought it with her, and it was only his favorite ones… It was clear that she'd brought the tea for him… "Idiot, wasting her time on grabbing this stuff when her freedom was in danger." he scoffed. He looked over to Ben now and saw Ben's eyes fixed on the damp outline of Hanji's body on his shirt and the wet footprints that went from the bathroom to her room.

"Soooo-" Ben started with a big ass grin.

"Don't ask." Levi said bluntly before turning on his heel and going back to Hanji's room to give her clothes yell at her for risking her life for some dammed tea… And then he'd go make some of said dammed tea and probably drink some with her… After all, they were friends… He would just have to keep reminding himself that.  
**-**

**Have I ever mentioned how hard it is to have your favorite character be a character that's somewhere between being a main character and a side character in this show? Like I'm so afraid that Hanji won't make it to the end of the series -fingers crossed that she does live-… -toes crossed that she and Levi (and maybe Erwin too) go off on their own adventures when the titans are gone - -everything crossed that she and Levi are confirmed to be a thing- My hopes are up too high, huh?**

**Also i just wanted to write Levi and Hanji playing around a bit because I really feel like Hanji would play stupid games with him just by pissing him off enough where he'd have no choice to play… like when she threw the shirt. Hope you liked.**


	19. Jealous much?

**I don't own Snk -cries a river-**

Hanji made sure to get up extra early the next morning before the sun was even fully out so that she could get a chance to stretch her legs and breathe in some of the fresh outside of the wall air, but getting out wasn't easy.

Levi's room ended up being next to hers, and Erwin's was right across the hall which meant she's have to be super careful about not slamming the door if she was going to get out of here. Carefully, she tiptoed down across her room and into the hallway, cringing as she ever-so-lightly shut her door behind her. The door didn't make a sound as she shut, Hanji's eyes darted around the hallway, it didn't seem like anyone was even awake yet. A huge excited grin split her face as she went for the stairs sure that it was going to be easy to get out now. Tiptoeing again, she made her way down the stairs as quiet as a mouse.

Her foot touched the bottom of the step, she'd made it without getting caught, "Heheheh." She chuckled to herself as she looked up the stairs and saw no one was the wiser that she'd snuck off, now all she had to do was-

"Good morning Miss Hanji!" a plucky voice called.

"Nggghhh?!" Hanji spun around with enough force to nearly knock herself over to see a small, copper haired, hazel eyed, fair skinned woman looking up to her only inches away from her, "Penny!" Hanji smiled, trying to look natural and not like she was sneaking out at all, "What are you doing awake so early?"

Penny smiled a warm smile holding up her arms to show Hanji what she'd been carrying… A mixing bowl? Hanji looked around the kitchen, the stove was lit, the kitchen smelled of fresh made coffee and freshly made jam, it was a home like smell, something so unfamiliar to Hanji, that she hadn't even noticed it at first.

"You're cooking down here?" Hanji didn't hide the shock in her voice. She hadn't been too conscious for much of the day before, and once she finally had started feeling better, Levi made sure she stayed in her room and rested until she fell asleep, so Hanji didn't have much of a chance to learn too much about this 'Penny' person, but it did seem like the others were still hesitant of her… Hanji watched as Penny looked down shyly and nodded, the fact that Erwin allowed her to stay did say something though, they trusted her enough to sleep and let her roam free in the simple house so Penny must not have been to distrusted.

"I think we had a rough introduction… All of us I mean." Penny smiled softly as she stared into the swirling of the eggs she'd been whisking while she spoke, "I still don't think Levi will like me being here, but there's only so much I can do about that right?" Penny looked up cheerfully in a way that made Hanji smile back.

"Ahh, that little shorty worries too much. Don't worry about him too much, it's not in his personality to dislike people forever, no matter how hard he tries, as long as you really aren't a threat to us, I'm sure he'll get over it." Hanji waved her hand around as she spoke and Penny watched her attentively.

"Hah." Penny let out a short light laugh, her hand stopped whisking, "When you say it like that, it really does feel like you don't remember me…" Hanji's brow quirked, remember her? Remember her from what, was Penny someone she was supposed to remember?

"What do you mean?" Hanji asked after a moment, running Penny's face through her memories to see if something lined up.

"You saved my life before the titans disappeared, you and your friends were there. You kept me from getting myself killed actually." Penny's head bounced to the side, she flashed a small smile, "I was going to join the Survey Corps after since my family was gone… You were the last person who gave me hope, you told me to survive back then when I was willing to throw my life away over nothing, I never forgot that. I was going to apply to work with you in the research division once I'd found out you worked there, but then once the titans were gone, the Survey Corps was pretty much dissolved and you were relieved of duty, given a new title. I went to work for the castle hoping that there was a chance that you might show up for an event or something… When you did, I was so happy I didn't know what to do. That's why I wanted to help you escape too, I wanted to repay you all of this time for saving my life even if it cost me everything." Penny sighed and Hanji stared at her wide eyed…

"Ahhh, I remember you!" Hanji clapped her hands together, "You were trying to save your mother and you almost got yourself killed. Wow, who would've thought I'd meet you again?" Hanji frowned deeply as she remembered narrowly missing Penny's mother's out stretched hands by mere centimeters due to her own injuries… All she could do after that was to go get Penny at the time, "I apologize for not being able to get to your mother in time." Hanji hung her head and Penny jumped at the unexpected reaction.

"No no! I'm grateful that you tried, if you weren't there I would have died for sure, I owe you my life! I'll live everyday to prove how grateful I am!" Penny's face was red as she spoke, she nearly dropped the eggs she'd been whisking in her eagerness and Hanji reached out to catch bowl.

"Ahh, careful." Hanji smiled softly, Penny didn't seem so bad, just a nice kid that got a few bad breaks, but not a threat, "Hmm, I'm not good at this cooking stuff, but I can try and help you out, it looks like you're trying to do a lot." Hanji's eyes fell on the big bowl of dough in one corner of the room, the eggs Penny was holding now and the slices of cured meat it looked like Penny had been preparing to try.

"Thanks." Penny blushed again looking away shyly, "I'd like that."

"What do you need help with?" Hanji asked going over to the sink to wash her hands. She always washed her hands before dissecting creatures, so she figured it was the same when it came to cooking.

"Well, I want to make another loaf of bread, I made one loaf, but it was plain bread, I forgot to add the raisins to it, so I'm making another loaf now, but I'm worried the others might wake up before I can finish everything in time." Penny frowned placing the eggs to the side.

"Ahh, raisin bread is good, just tell me what to do." It was weird, but Penny was comfortable to be around to Hanji, she didn't feel like a stranger, she had a maternal kind of aura, like someone else she knew… Who was it that Penny was reminding her of? It was curious.

"Think you can knead the raisins into this bread for me?" Penny's head tilted to the side in a playful manner and Hanji smiled and took the bowl before starting to knead the bread.

Hanji's full attention was on kneading the bread, she wasn't good at cooking anything, she'd made bread once and it came out like rocks… She ate it anyway though, wasting food wasn't something she was a fan of.

"You look better than yesterday." Penny commented suddenly, "Levi was able to get to you before anything… happened… right?" the question came hesitantly.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, yesterday was a bit rough, I got locked up in that stupid room by Levi, he refused to let me out until he thought I was 'sufficiently rested'" Hanji made air quotes and flour flew all over her as she did, "Haha, I'll get that later." she turned back to the dough, "Nothing happened to me the night of the ball, Levi really did get there right in time." Hanji turned to look at Penny who jumped, face red as Hanji met eyes with her and that's when it hit her who Penny kind of reminded her of; Petra. She was small, same build, similar hair color, similar eye color and shape, same maternal like attitude, but a certain sternness as well… It was kinda weird that Levi didn't like Penny off the bat. The resemblance between the herself and Petra was uncanny.

"I'm just glad you're okay. "Penny nodded stirring a pot absentmindedly, "It seems like Levi really cares for you the way he looks after you though." there was a tang of jealousy in her voice that Hanji picked up on… It seemed to Hanji, that just like Petra, Penny liked Levi too… The thought made her feel a little funny.

"Ah, well that's what friends do." Hanji turned back to the bowl trying to shake the weird feeling that was suddenly in her stomach, maybe she was hungry, she hadn't actually eaten in awhile, that must have been why she was feeling funny. The smell of the food in the kitchen was borderline intoxicating.

"Are you okay?" Penny was asking, her hands stopped stirring the pot as she moved to look over at Hanji who suddenly looked a little pale and not just from the flour she'd spilled everywhere.

"I'm fine just a little hungry." Hanji insisted turning back to the bowl she'd been kneading the bread in. Penny watched Hanji hesitantly for a moment, not sure whether Hanji really was okay or not, but as she watched Hanji's smiling face kneading the bread, she was pretty sure Hanji was fine. A little smile came over Penny's face… She was really cooking with Hanji, since she met Hanji she wished that something like this would happen, that she would have a chance to do little domestic things around the house with her. Penny could hardly contain herself as she tried to keep her eyes on the jam she was stirring, but she couldn't help but peek over at Hanji from the corner of her eyes, cursing her own hair for blocking the view. This moment, to Penny was perfect, though she was wondering if she could get Hanji to wear an apron, that would be cute… of course only the apron would be-

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Penny spun around face red with guilt as if she thought her own thoughts could be read as she heard Levi's voice bark behind her.

"I'm no doi-" Penny stopped herself when she realized that Levi hadn't even looked at her once, his eyes were fixed on Hanji as he stormed over to her side with a scowl.

"Why the hell are you walking around? You're all bruised and messed up from the day before, but you're still all over the place?" Hanji rolled her eyes as he spoke,

"I'm just making bread, it's not like I went to climb a mountain." Hanji scoffed, ignoring the way her head ached as she turned to face him.

"Not the point." he was in front of her now, still scowling, "You're covered in flour, Four eyes." He wiped her face with his hand, "That's not even the reason you're pale, you're face is hot." he pressed his palm to her cheek, "Tch! This is what happens when you run around all over the place naked right out of the tub like a dumbass." he frowned, but Hanji only sighed.

"Oh come on, do you really have to yell at me every time I do that? It's not a big deal." Penny's face went bright red as she heard that… Were Hanji and Levi really in that sort of a relationship where he could often see her naked? Penny's eyes narrowed as she looked at Levi, that lucky little bastard… It seemed like he was going to be a strong opponent when it came to winning over Hanji.

"Go sit down." Levi commanded her, pulling her away from the mixing bowl.

"But I told P-!" Hanji insisted, holding her ground, Penny's heart swelled as she heard Hanji's loyalty, but then that stupid little nuisance got in the way again.

"Hanji, no one wants to eat you're nasty ass germ covered bread. I'll make a new one."

"But-!" Hanji started, lunging for the bowl of dough he was about to toss away.

"Sit. Down." Hanji sighed, she could tell from the look in his eyes he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Fine." Hanji sighed taking a seat at the small table in the kitchen. Levi watched her walk away and settle into the seat. At least she wasn't putting up too much of a fuss today… He turned to the sink, and only then did he notice Penny.

"Oi, why are you here?" he scowled unsure why the hell anyone let her walk around with Hanji alone, he still didn't trust her and Penny's jaw dropped.

"You really only noticed I'm here now? Wow, you are something!" She scoffed, "And Miss Hanji and I were having such a lovely chat right Miss Hanji?" Penny called over to Hanji and Hanji nodded.

"Yeah, it's nice to see that you're doing well after all this time." Hanji answered honestly. It wasn't often she got to see a civilian she'd helped later on in life, it was nice to see that she's impacted someone and helped someone out. When Penny told her she was a big part of how she overcame the loss of her mother and part of how she was able to move forward, it really did touch Hanji.

Levi frowned as he watched Penny's goggly eyed stare at Hanji. The day before Penny clearly said that she wanted tone on Hanji's side with a red ass face, Hanji didn't seem to get what Penny meant, but Levi definitely understood and he didn't like it at all. He'd known Hanji for years, worked closely with her knew her well, and only now he realized that he might have perhaps had romantic feelings for her and in walked this little shit trying to take his Hanji away? He was sure he was going to have to show this little shit where her place was in this house.

He pulled on the apron so he wouldn't dirty his clothes and immediately started making the bread. Penny watched him expecting the hands of humanities strongest soldier to be clumsy in the kitchen and hoping that he'd embarrass himself in his attempt to make bread so that she could take over and look good in front of Hanji, but his hands moved quickly and skillfully as he made the dough for the bread, it looked like he could do it in his sleep.

"Can I help you?" Levi grumbled, still making the dough and looking up to meet Penny's prying eyes. Penny eased away and moved back to look at her jam she'd been stirring. Levi was sure she was doing all of this to show off in front of Hanji… Tch, dammed brat.

Hanji sat from the stool and watched Levi and Penny stealing glances at what the other was doing, it was like they forgot she existed. Hanji wasn't shocked that there was a connection between them, after all, Penny was a lot like Petra, it was natural for Levi to perhaps feel something towards Penny, Hanji guessed… Though, the thought left a weird feeling in her chest now. She glanced at Penny who was staring hard at Levi while she vigorously stirred the jam, and then looked at Levi who was looking right back at her as he went on making the dough…Hanji could have left right now and those two were so focused on each other, neither of them would have noticed.

The door to the house swung open right as Hanji contemplated just leaving and going on her own adventure and in came Erwin with a net of firewood dragged in behind him.

"It smells more like a home in here than it ever has." Erwin beamed as he walked through the door. Penny moved her glare from Levi to face Erwin, Levi did the same and Hanji turned around looking a little shocked, "Err, why does everyone look like that?" Erwin asked innocently. Erwin could tell from a glance that Penny and Levi still weren't getting along and Hanji…She looked a little pale, and a bit bothered too.

"Erwin!" Hanji was suddenly on her feet and rushing over to him, "Ahh, they're making breakfast,"she waved her hand at Penny and Levi before facing Erwin again, "While they do that, I'll help you with the firewood!" She smiled brightly, but her eyes looked off.

"Oh, it's not much I can-"

"No I insist!" Hanji sung, grabbing Erwin's arm in one hand ant the bag of firewood in the other before swinging it over her shoulder.

"What's happening here?" Ben asked sounding very confused as he entered the room, but Hanj hardly heard him as she was already dragging Erwin and the wood to the common room. Anything to get out of the weird sexual tension she thought she sensed between Levi and Penny.

Levi watched her go feeling a bit shocked, he was pretty sure Erwin didn't like her, but what the hell was her rush to drag him away? He started to call after her, but then Penny already had begun speaking.

"Good going fun-sized, you shooed her off with all your talk about germy bread!" Penny huffed throwing the spoon she'd been stirring the jam with in the pot.

"Tch, you scared her off your damn self, I saw how you looked at her when I walked in. You looked like you were undressing her with your damn eyes!" He threw the dough into the bowl.

"Well, we're not all so lucky to chase around a half naked Hanji now are we?" Penny demanded before smiling dreamily, "One day though~"

"Fucking creep." Levi huffed throwing off the apron. He was only making the bread because he thought Hanji wanted it, now that she didn't seem interested in it, he didn't particularly care if it got baked or not, especially not when it meant that staying in the kitchen meant he'd have to be around this creature longer.

Levi stormed out of the house and Penny huffed as she watched him go, leaving Ben to stand in the back of the kitchen awkwardly.

"What in the heck is going on with all these young people?" Ben mumbled under his breath, scratching his chin, "Hanji dragged Erwin away… Levi and Penny are arguing about Hanji…" Then it hit him, Levi seemed highly irritated by Penny's interest in Hanji, and openly irritated too. Ben was rushing out of the door to chase down Levi within seconds of that thought.

"You realized it!" Ben yelled throwing open the front door and nearly knocking into Levi who'd been standing on the porch.

"What the hell?" Levi jumped up, Ben was lucky that Levi knew his voice well, because Levi had been about three seconds from mistaking him as a threat and kicking him in the throat.

"About Hanji, you realized it!" Ben smiled brightly with almost as much enthusiasm as one of Hanji's smiles.

Levi paused, he wasn't sure if he wanted to even talk with Ben about Hanji. After all, he and Ben hadn't always had the best relationship. Levi watched the grizzled old man's faded green eyes light up as he waited for Levi's answer, "Why do you care so much about Hanji and me anyway." Levi scoffed.

Ben chuckled leaning against the side of the house, "I told you before, you remind me of myself when I was young… I made a lot of mistakes and did a lot of people wrong in my past before… I'm not going to say I can understand the things you had to do considering your position, but I do understand being miserable. I can tell you feel miserable… For me, my wife was my turning point, she balanced me out, made me better, and I in turn did my best to do the same for her. I can see that you and Hanji have that sort of relationship already, you look more like yourselves when your with each other than when you're apart." Ben nodded, "Let's just say an old man knows when there's chemistry between two people." Ben laughed a hearty laugh and Levi went on staring at him before letting out a deep sigh.

"Don't say anything to her." he looked away from Ben and towards the sky, "The last few days have been rough on her, she needs to let her bruises and cuts heal and settle in here. Saying something would make her uncomfortable." Ben watched with a smile as Levi spoke.

"I won't say a word, but Miss Penny on the other hand-"

"Reckless brat." Levi scoffed, "Penny needs to stay away from her. Penny's concerned with what she wants only, she's not thinking about what Hanji needs right now."

Ben and Levi stood in silence for a long moment as Ben tried to think about what to say to Levi who was clearly still a bit at odds with his own feelings.

"Sounds to me like you're jealous." Ben chuckled, "Don't want to see someone else with Miss Hanji?"

"I'm _not_ jealous." his voice was tired, "I'm worried about Hanji…" Levi sighed, "I'm going back inside."

"Ah, I'll be inside in a moment, just gonna enjoy a bit of this fresh air." Ben chuckled watching as Levi nodded before turning to go back inside. It seemed like at least Levi could finally admit it to himself that he liked, her, "Finally, some dammed progress!"

Levi went back inside and saw Penny had fixed the table with jam, cooked meat, eggs, and the loaf of bread she'd seemed to have baked before. Erwin was already sitting at the head of the table, Hanji was on one side of him and Penny was on the other side of him, sitting across from Hanji. Hanji still looked a little pale, Erwin was staring at her with this worried look on his face and it left Levi wondering just what had happened between the two of them.

"Ah, Levi!" Erwin waved, "We ended up waiting for you and Ben to come back inside before we ate. Is Ben coming?" He asked.

"He'll be in soon." Levi grumbled, taking a seat next to Hanji. He didn't miss Penny's glare as he did so and he gave her a dirty look.

Erwin watched Levi and Penny before turning to look at Hanji who looked mildly uncomfortable. Was this what Hanji was concerned about? When she'd pulled Erwin into the common room to unload the firewood, she insisted that she wanted to give Penny and Levi some space, Erwin assumed she meant space away from each other, which was why he couldn't figure out why she looked so worried, but now he got it; Hanji seemed to think that Levi and Penny were interested in each other… And she was bothered by that… Could that mean that she finally realized her fee- Erwin lost his train of thought and sat up rod straight as he felt something brush his leg. It moved and he jumped a bit out of shock.

Erwin's eyes slowly turned to Penny who was staring at Hanji with red cheeks and a cheeky smirk, her smirk got wider and whatever that was tickling Erwin's leg went higher, "Ahem." Erwin coughed looking over to Penny. It was pretty obvious that she thought this was Hanji's leg she was brushing her foot against, but her leg was too short to reach. Her foot moved higher up Erwin's leg and his eyes went a little wide, his face went a bit red as he started at Penny in shock. She was really willing to play dirty to get Hanji, he knew he should inform her that it was his leg she was on and not Hanji's, but it had been such a _damn_ long time since a woman had even touched him in that sort of way that he clean lost his logic… Now he was staring at her thinking she wasn't so bad looking now that he really looked at her, she was kind of… charming actually, he was thinking maybe he should take time to get to know her better.

Levi looked over to Hanji who was still looking a little pale and pressed his hand against her cheek, "You still have a fever, you should rest after this." He commented lightly.

"Ah, I'm fine, being cooped up is boring." She smirked tiredly, "I want to take a walk after we eat."

"I'll go with you." Levi nodded, "If you're going to go out while you're sick, you shouldn't go alone." Hanji looked over at him tiredly, she could see the worry in his eyes. He was a good friend… so why was she even feeling weird about him seemingly being interested in Penny?

"I'll go too!" Penny yelled suddenly, she wasn't liking the tender little gaze that Levi and Hanji were exchanging. Levi was about to tell her off, but then Hanji smiled weakly and answered before he could.

"Yes, that would be nice." She didn't want to feel like the awkward third wheel, but if it was going to help Levi enter another relationship after how long he'd been apart from Petra, she'd put up with it.

Levi scowled at Penny's shit eating grin before looking over to Hanji. Did Hanji like this little shit so much that she didn't want to walk alone with him? What was so special about this little brat? There was no way that Hanji liked Penny so soon… Right?

Ben walked back into the house just then, "Oh!" He exclaimed clapping his hands together as he saw the spread of food on the table, "Were you all waiting for me? You didn't have to." He laughed.

"Oh no it's fine! We were just talking about_ after breakfast plans_." Penny smirked giving Hanji a sultry glance as she lifted her foot _way_ higher up what she thought was Hanji's leg. Hanji gave her a politely confused smile trying to ignore Levi's staring at Penny, mistaking his scowl for a longing glance yet again, and Erwin who'd suddenly got a foot brushed against his crotch, well his face went bright red and his hand slammed down on the table.

"Let's eat!" He called desperately, reaching under the table to move Penny's foot. As his hand touched her leg, he watched her face turn red and slip into a sour frown as she realized that she'd closed in on the wrong target.

Ben watched the whole scene with a bitter scowl as he put together the situation. Penny clearly liked Hanji, but so did Levi which meant he was keeping an extra special eye on Penny who he thought would bother Miss Hanji, but by Levi keeping an eye on Penny, Miss Hanji had mistaken his distrust for attraction and Erwin seemed to be a bit smitten at the moment by Penny… Ben let out a sigh as he walked into the tension filled dining area where everyone was eating in awkward silence. Penny and Levi were staring at Hanji, Hanji was staring at her plate with a dejected look and Erwin was stealing glances at Penny… Ben wished he could help these poor souls, but with this much confusion… At least for now, he thought it better to let them sort out their own feelings… It would give them quite the story to tell when they got older.

"Heheh, young people." Ben chuckled to himself as he took a bite of the eggs.

"What was that?" Penny asked, as she poured him some orange juice.

"Hmm, nothing." Ben smiled, "Just that this is really good."

**Sorry for the lateness of this, been a little sick, been a little out of it, had a little writer's block, but I got this down :o Thanks peoples for the kind reviews, it really does make me happy that people like my stories. I'll work hard to keep my stuff interesting :)**


	20. Bears, Oh My!

**Still don't own any Snk**

Breakfast had been cleared away, and Hanji's plans to get out of the house seemed to feel a little more real to her. She poked around the house a bit to make sure everyone was too busy to notice if she slipped away to explore a bit. Ben was washing dishes in the kitchen with Levi, Erwin and Penny had gone to finish putting away the rest of the firewood with that Hanji had put away messily, and that left Hanji finally free to see the outside world on her own… well that's what she thought as she tiptoed up to the front door, but right as she got there, there was a knock.

"Who is it?" Erwin called from the back of the house as he came forward. Hanji slumped over a bit… Was she ever going to get a chance to explore without getting caught? Geez!

"Oh, you were getting the door already?" Erwin smiled warmly at Hanji as he approached the door, slipping the gloves he was using to carry the firewood off.

"You get company a lot?" Hanji sighed as she watched her chance for adventure, literally go out the door.

"Well, yes, the people around here visit a lot, but it seems the others saw us arrive the other day and wanted to see you all again." Erwin smiled broadly as he turned the door handle ,"They asked if they could come over when I was out getting the firewood, so I invited the others all over."

"Others?" Hanji asked tilting her head to the side, "What others?"

Erwin only flashed her a knowing smile before turning the handle and pulling the door open and Hanji's eyes went wide as familiar faces appeared in front of her.

"S-Squad leader!" A familiar voice called, as Moblit flung himself into the house and pulled her into a firm hug.

"Moblit!" She laughed patting his back mildly shocked to be hugged so suddenly, "You've been living out here with Erwin in this village the whole time? No wonder I haven't seen you around town!" She hugged him back tightly as her brain processed that this was _Moblit, _her old assistant who'd she'd nearly given several heart attacks to… She meant to apologize for those eventually.

Moblit pulled back to look at her with a teary eyed frown, "Squad leader, I told you I was going with Erwin, you were still refusing to leave your lab at that time, you didn't even see me off." He pouted and Hanji felt a pang of guilt. She did remember that now, but back then she thought everyone was acting too quickly about the disappearance of the titans, how could she have left her lab back then?

"Ahh, sorry Moblit, it wasn't that I didn't want to go…" She started, but Moblit only smiled at her and shook his head.

"No, it's fine, I know my squad leader pretty well, you wouldn't stop worrying about humanity unless it stabbed you in the back." he smirked smiling down at her. She forced a smile, it's not like Moblit knew that humanity actually had tried to stab her in the back a few days ago… Humanity she may have been doubting right now, but these people around her right now? She already knew she could trust them with her life and it wasn't a bad feeling. Just then she noticed a mess of brown hair and a flash of green eyes behind him.

"Eren?!" She gasped, side stepping Moblit as Eren and Jean walked into the doorway.

"Ah, hello S-squad leader Hanji." Eren smiled timidly at her, knowing full well why she was so interested in seeing him again, so he answered the question before she could even ask, "In case you're wondering, I don't transform anymore, once the titans disappeared, so did my powers as a titan." he said firmly. Hanji smiled softly. She'd kind of suspected that… at long last she finally knew… if Eren couldn't transform anymore, and the only thing that remained as a reminder of the titans was the walls that humanity once used to hide from them… Then she really was a scientist without a cause now… Sure she had Erwin's arm to work on, but what was she supposed to do after that? That wasn't a good realization for her...

More people flooded into the room with smiles on their faces, Armin, Ymir, Historia, Sasha, Jean, Connie, Mikasa, and some of the other soldiers she didn't know as well entered Erwin's home greeting her warmly, and Hanji smiled back, trying to be just as friendly as all of the visitors, but with Penny and Levi hitting it off and her realizing that she really had become a bit useless… it was a bit tough.

"What's all this noise?" Levi grumbled from around the corner as he approached the main hallway.

"Lance Corporal!" The room exploded into his old title and he cringed at the sound until he started recognizing the faces.

"Ah, so all you brats moved to live out here with Erwin?" He nodded as he took in the faces, they looked taller, happier, he was a bit glad to see that they hadn't gotten themselves mauled by bears out here, "The outside air did you all well, you all look less shitty than I remember."

"Lance Corporal! It's good to see you!" Eren was the first to run up to him, Mikasa was a step behind him.

"Hm? You too." Levi nodded, looking up at Eren, "You and Mikasa still sewn together I see." he gave a brief nod in Mikasa's direction, knowing full well that she still probably wasn't too fond of him.

"I see you're still sticking around with Hanji?" Mikasa replied with a flat look, ignoring the worried look Eren was giving her, as she looked down at him. Levi cut his eyes over at Hanji who was smiling widely and catching up with her old friends, Moblit was right at her side following her around like a lost puppy that had just found it's owner after years, and on her other side of her, there was Penny who seemed to slip in the room at some point. Levi forgot he's even been talking to Mikasa and Eren for a moment as he saw Penny smile and slip her arm around Hanji's while Hanji introduced her to the others.

"Hmm." Levi shrugged, still peeking at Hanji from the side of his eye and making sure that Penny wasn't getting too grabby… Hanji already had a kind of uncomfortable twinge in her smile, and after the time she'd had lately, this might have been a bit much for her. Levi looked over to Erwin who looked from Hanji over to him with a tight smile and Levi understood why Erwin invited them over. Just like Levi, Erwin was worried about Hanji's mental stability after everything that happened, he must have thought having some old friends around might put her at ease a bit… Maybe he was right… Levi figured he might have been over thinking it, maybe Hanji didn't look uncomfortable, maybe she was slightly overwhelmed after seeing her friends for so long, maybe that was it… but still… there was no need for Penny to be buzzing around her so much, "Perhaps I am." Levi finally replied to Mikasa's question off handedly.

"You owe me dinner Eren." Mikasa nudged Eren lightly in the side, and her voice pulled Levi back to the conversation as Eren looked over to her looking a bit confused, "You bet me dinner back when we were soldiers that Levi and Hanji were more than friends." Mikasa said matter-of-factly, her eyes stabbing Levi with daggers as she spoke. Eren looked petrified as he looked from Levi to Mikasa.

"W-well we said that so long ago, I didn't think you'd even remember that." he stammered awkwardly glancing at Levi, wishing that Mikasa's grudge against Levi wasn't showing now. Levi looked back at her with a slightly annoyed stare, and Mikasa glared at him. Eren sighed as he stood awkwardly between the two of them feeling like this was going to be a long day, Levi looked away from Eren and Mikasa for a moment and over to Hanji, convincing himself that giving her a bit of space would be the right thing to do right now, but as he watched Penny lean her head on Hanji's shoulder for a moment, he and Eren seemed to have the same thought; this is going to be a long day.

The others stayed all day catching up joking around. Hanji hadn't been feeling so great before, but she was feeling a bit better now, having her friends around was really nice, so was seeing how the others had been. The last she saw of the young recruits they'd seemed so small, now everyone was big and shiny! But some things never changed. Erwin was being friendly with everyone, Sasha had been sneaking food from the kitchen with Connie as an accomplice, Jean was bragging to Mikasa while Mikasa doted on Eren, and Moblit was right next to her the whole evening. The only new additions to the crew were Ben and Penny, both of whom everyone seemed to like right away.

At some point when the sun began to set and day began to turn into evening, and everyone who lived in the village insisted on making them a welcome dinner for the evening. Everyone from the village and Ben had gathered in the kitchen to cook, leaving Erwin, Penny, Levi and Hanji out in the living room to listen to the laughter that filled the air from the four of them sat in absolute silence, the only sound in the room being the crackling of the fireplace.

"Hanji, do you want something to munch on while we wait?" Penny asked, finally breaking the silence as she walked over to sit so close to Hanji that her leg was pressed rich against Hanji's. She found Hanji was looking a little pale, maybe something to chew on would help.

"I'm okay." Hanji smiled tiredly. Now that the action around them had died down a bit, Hanji was back to thinking how she could adjust to this new life. She was a scientist and a researcher, but out here they needed firewood, food, builders, sure she could do that for awhile, but that was never what she'd planned to do with her life! Was everything she loved and lived for really useless out here?

"What about something to drink?" Penny leaned in a little closer, trying to get a better look at Hanji's face.

"No thanks, I'm not taking anymore drinks from people for awhile." Hanji joked lightly, but Penny frowned.

"Ah, sorry, I'm just worried because you still look a little pale from this morning, you still look a little red in the face like you have a fever." Penny pouted.

"Do I?" Hanji felt a little shocked, she figured it was just Levi acting fussy when he said she was pale, but maybe she really was.

"Here let me see." Penny leaned close and took Hanji's cheeks gently in her hands to take the temperature. _"Ahh, her skin is so smooth! Her cheeks are so soft too! If that little angry guy thinks he'll take this soft skin away from me, he's sorely mistaken!" _Penny thought to herself before giving Levi a teasing glare from the side of her eyes. Levi glared back at her wishing that he could reach across and smack her hands right off of Hanji, but he'd already decided to let Hanji do what she wanted, if Hanji liked that stupid little imp rubbing her imp hands all over her face that… so… be… it, though it didn't stop him from feeling angry. Hanji caught a glimpse of Levi and Penny staring at each other again and the funny feeling that was in her stomach earlier that morning was back.

"You know what it is? I actually think I just need a little bit of air, I'll just step outside a minute!" Hanji laughed awkwardly pulling her face from Penny's grip before standing up and leaving the room. Penny whimpered as the warmth of Hanji's face on her hands went cold and nearly stood to go after her until a hand came over her shoulder.

"Give her some space you leech, can't you tell that's why she's leaving?" Levi grumbled looking down at Penny.

"Oh please, you've been staring at her all day, if you want to give her space than maybe don't burn your eyes into the side of her head." Penny jerked her shoulder out of Levi's grip, turning so that she could give him a proper glare.

Levi rolled his eyes as he heard the sound of the front door closing as Hanji left. It took everything in him not to go after her, to give her some space so that she could pull her head together. He knew pretty well that him buzzing around her wouldn't be any less stressful than Penny buzzing around, he just hoped she'd be able to bounce back from this pretty quickly, he'd never liked seeing his friend upset, and now with his damn _feelings_ that he'd felt for her, it was even more upsetting… He just hoped that giving her space was the right thing for her… And that she wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Haaaaah!" Hanji took a deep breath of the cool nighttime air and looked around the village. A few houses in the square had their windows lit up, but most of them seemed to be off since most of the village seemed to be her old friends and they were all inside Erwin's house now. She rubbed her shoulders to fight off the cold air leaking through her clothes and turned to look back at the house with a smile. She really was happy to see the others… but this odd feeling she'd been noticing fluttering around in her stomach was just annoying, and she didn't understand it at all. Maybe she was just feeling cramped, she ha to admit she did feel a lit better now that she was outside.

Her eyes darted around the empty town square as she realized it… She was _outside_ the place she had been trying to sneak out to all day! This was the world outside of the walls and no one was even around to stop her from exploring a bit!

"No no… I shouldn't." she shook her head firmly, "I mean I don't know much about living out here or what sort of animals live out here… It might be dangerous." she warned herself, but then a goofy smile crossed her face, "Who am I kidding danger is my middle name! Besides, I won't go far, just a little behind those bushes to see what kind of insects inhabit this place!" She smirked to herself before sneaking off towards the forrest.

**-Half an hour later-**

Levi found himself outside of the house looking for Hanji. The others were still inside cooking, and he'd convinced Erwin to distract Penny while he went out to look for Hanji. He really did want to give her space, but it had been quite some time since she left, and he knew that she was upset, she might have been out here beating herself up…. His eyes scanned the moonlit clearing, but he was no signs of her, "Where the hell did she go?" he mumbled to himself as he looked around. His eyes landed on a spot in the bushes that had been parted, "No fucking way she went in the woods, she's not that dumb…"

"Arrgh!" The sound of Hanji's voice came from the bushes followed by the sound of rustling further off.

"Dammit!" Levi hissed his heels digging into the ground as he took off to make sure Hanji was okay.

He burst into the clearing of the bushes to find Hanji on the ground, being pinned down by a huge bear that was growling in her face drool flying, paws swinging, the whole nine yards.

"Ahh, Levi! You're timing is great as usual!" Hanji laughed heartily looking over at him while holding off the bear's paws.

"What the hell Hanji? How are you fighting a bear?!" Levi demanded storming over to grab the bear from behind, putting it in a chokehold.

"Whew, thanks that was getting a little desperate there! I was just looking around a bit and I saw this big furry wad in the middle of the forrest so I just poked it, turned out it was a bear!" Hanji laughed rolling out from under the bear as Levi pulled the bear back struggling to keep it's paws and jaws from attacking him.

"Argh! Dammit Hanji, be more careful!" Levi boomed as Hanji cracked her knuckles, if she remembered correctly, a good blow to the nose would send the bear scampering back into the woods before any of them had to get hurt.

"Yeah, yeah, I know Levi, I was just curious, I can't help it, I've been here two days and I haven't had a chance to see the world yet!" She insisted winding back her fist and fitting the bear hard in the nose. The bear let out a great cry and squirmed out of Levi's vice grip and made a mad dash back into the depths of the woods.

"Shit, Four eyes, are you okay?" Levi asked coming over to get a look at her. She was still slightly bruised from Baasch, but other than that, it didn't look like she had any injures.

"I'm fine, just a little dirty." She smiled lightly.

"What's new?" He grumbled, dusting himself off, he moved to dust off his arm when he noticed the pain that shot up his arm when his hand made contact. He pulled his hand back to find it painted red, "Huh, looks like the bear got me." he sighed.

"What?" Hanji peered down at the torn, now red fabric on Levi's arm and felt guilt rush through her, he had gotten hurt because of her… "Come on, we should get that cleaned up before the others finish dinner." She pulled him by his healthy arm towards the house. It was weird, he knew she'd offhandedly touched him like this a thousand times in the past, he'd even slept with in the past for fuck's sake! But now that he was aware that he liked her, something like a little touch like that sent a shock across his skin as he looked up at her profile in the moonlight.

He knew her for a long time… That hooked nose, those glasses, that mop of brown hair, he knew it all too well, but with these damn feelings attached now, all of those features looked different… He wished to brush his hands across that nose as he went to take those glasses from her face, he wanted to burry his face in her hair and hold her close… No… what was he thinking…? This was not the time for the time for this, he needed to focus on helping her settle in here… The faster she did that, the sooner he could say something about this to her… probably… he didn't want to ruin their friendship either, but it had only been two days since he realized his feelings and they'd hit him hard, he would have to say something eventually!

Hanji swung open the door to Erwin's house and right on the other side was Penny with a frown, Erwin was right behind her, "Hanji! Where did you go? I was so worried, we're almost done dinner-!" She came toward Hanji until she saw Levi's arm covered in blood with a deep gash down the side, "What happened to him?!" Penny demanded.

"Hanji was playing with a fucking bear and almost got her ass killed." Levi grumbled as he stepped into the house, "I'm going to clean up, don't tell the others about the cut, the others are just going to fuss over all of this." Levi started to shuffle up the steps and Hanji moved to go right after him.

"Wait, I'll help you clean up!" Hanji called after him catching up next to him and taking him by his good arm to help him up the stairs.

"It's fine." He insisted, yanking his arm back.

"Oh come on… It's kind of my fault that you're like this anyways." she hummed hanging her head.

"'Kind of'?" he snorted, "Who the hell poked at random fur lumps in the forrest and expects something good to happen?!" Levi boomed as Hanji smirked at him.

"Ahh, but if I didn't poke that fur wad, I wouldn't be able to know not to do it in the future." she smiled and he frowned at her with a warning look.

Penny and Erwin watched them go up the stairs still bickering.

"Urgh, it seems like all I ever get to do is see how close those two are, how am I supposed to get my foot in the door with Hanji when he's getting in the way!" Penny growled watching them as they went up the stairs without looking back once.

"They've known each other a long time, they have a complicated friendship, it's not something you can easily break up." Erwin smiled watching them go. He could hear Levi telling Hanji to do the stitches more gently from down the stairs.

"Ugh, I can tell they're close, it's not like I want them to stop being friends," Penny reasoned with a heavy sigh, "I can tell he's important to Miss Hanji and even though I don't care about him, I can tell she's important to him and they probably both need that friendship and blah blah blah… I just want a little room for me in Miss Hanji's heart is all." Penny pouted, her cheeks red from her frustration.

Erwin smiled gently down at her, "Well as long as your goal isn't to ruin their friendship, I'll wish you luck." He pat her head once, his large hand accidentally ruffling up her hair as he moved away.

"W-well then thank you, at least someone here is on my side a little." She held her head high straightening out her hair before tailing after Erwin. Hanji was already helping Levi, last thing Penny wanted to do was stand there and hear them giggling all around the hallways like the other day, that was just nauseating, she figured she could allow Levi at least this much time since he had kept Hanji from being mauled by a bear and all… He'd pay for it later though.

Hanji's hands shakily moved to stitch up Levi's arm. She'd never been good at stitches, the last time she did them, she'd sewn the person's shirt to their leg, but she knew Levi couldn't get them done himself so she offered to help him out. She watched the needle move with her brows furrowed with intensity.

"Oi, Four eyes, why are you making that face, can't see?" He grumbled looking down at her scrunched up face.

"I can see, hence the extra set of eyes." She mumbled with a little smile. It was weird, she'd just been attacked by a bear, she should have felt more nervous, but she was starting to realize that no matter what happened, if Levi was there to have her back, nothing seemed too scary anymore.

Levi watched her as intently as she was watching his arm. She looked nice like this… trying her best… Her hands were warm on his skin… he liked it, she was leaning in so close on his arm while she did the stitches that he could feel her breathing… It was making him wonder if it really was better to wait before he said anything…

"And done!" Hanji smiled up at him as she tied the stitches shut.

"Messy." Levi looked down at the stitches that had gone past where the gash even was.

"Well, yeah I made a little mistake, but I closed up the cut at least and it's not a bad pattern." She smiled thoughtfully as she wrapped the gauze over his wound while he rolled his eyes.

"Why the hell did you even go out there anyway?" he asked pulling his shirt sleeve down over the cut as he watched her from under his lashes.

"Ahh, I just wanted to see the outside world a little more, I just wanted to explore." She sighed with a shameful look on her face as she leaned against his bed post, "I don't really know how I could live out here very well, maybe because we haven't been here long, but the domestic life doesn't suit me much. Collecting wood, making meals, socializing all day, can you picture me doing that?" her eyes went wide as she threw her hands up on the air in frustration.

Levi tried to picture Hanji doing that stuff everyday, but the image couldn't form in his mind, "Nope." He admitted leaning back on his good arm from where he sat directly across from her on the bed.

"Exactly." Hanji sighed her gaze falling on the floor she stared at one plank of the wooden floor as she opened up to hr friend, "Once I finish Erwin's arm, I don't know what I'll do around here… I'm a _scientist_, Levi. I want to see the world we fought for now." She strained the word scientist as she looked up to him with desperate eyes.

He hadn't thought that far ahead until she'd spoke just then, but he was in the same boat… He was humanity's strongest soldier, but he had no enemy… He'd fought to see the outside world and now that he was here, was he supposed to just sit around in some village? Domestic life wasn't much for him either. He looked over to Hanji who was staring out of the window with a frustrated look on her face now.

He wasn't sure what possessed him to do it, but he grabbed her hand. Curious brown eyes turned to him now as he opened his mouth to speak, "Seeing the world doesn't sound bad, especially with someone who punches a bear in the nose without a second thought." he watched her eyes slowly light up behind her glasses, a smile slowly crept on her face, "Oi, but if you start randomly poking every animal you see I'm not going to-"

"Ahh Levi! That's a great idea!" She dove across the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He nearly choked, his arms hung uselessly at his sides, "Traveling the world with my best friend in the world actually sounds like the best plan!" She enthused somehow managing to hold him even tighter.

"Yeah best friend." Levi lifted his hands to pat her back and hoped that she couldn't feel his heart beating hard through his chest from where she was pressed against him. She pulled away after a moment with a big smile on her face.

"Ahh, I'll have to finish Erwin's arm quickly, I'll work on that during the day and at night I'll start planning what we might need to travel the world." she squirmed getting to her feet with a new eagerness, "But first we should go eat right?" She smiled at him and he gave her a small grin back as he moved to get to his feet. She mumbled to herself as she walked out of the room, planning all sorts of things in that head of hers, he watched her go and sighed a small smile pressed on his face. Traveling with her huh? Didn't sound like she planned on inviting Penny either. Good.

**I think this might be ending soon, I have a pretty nice ending in mind though~**


	21. Yeah, but how?

**I don't own SNK Isayama owns SNK and I'm jealous**

**Yes a quick update because I was over eager to get out, enjoy~**

**-A month and a half later-**

Levi, and Ben were sitting down at the breakfast table, drinking tea. Levi may not have liked Ben at first, but the old man was… tolerable at least, his life stories were interesting, and he wasn't bad company every now and then.

"So, Miss Hanji is finishing up Erwin's arm soon, that mean you're going to be taking her away from us soon?" Ben asked nonchalantly as he sipped his own tea. Levi placed his cup down on the table. Hanji ended up announcing it the night that everyone threw the welcome party; that Levi and herself planned to travel the world. Moblit looked like he wanted to cry, but the others didn't look too shocked actually.

"Guess so." Levi replied cooly. He actually didn't mind being in the little village, but he found it boring, his life had always been a major shit storm and now that everything was calm and tranquil… he was bored. He didn't miss fighting for his life everyday, but he'd cleaned everyones houses in the village from top to bottom within the first two weeks and now he wasn't at all sure what to do with himself, he could hardly wait to leave now… especially considering that Penny and Moblit would be left behind.

Penny had been hinting at a desire to come along with them since the moment Hanji announced it, but Hanji didn't seem to be catching her hints… It made Levi grin every time Penny's hints got shot down, he just hoped Hanji didn't figure out that Penny wanted to go before they actually left on their first adventure.

"Ahh, I have no doubt you two will take good care of each other out there." Ben let out a deep hearty laugh nodding his greying head before lifting a finger from his mug to point it at Levi, "You plan on telling her out there?" Ben looked around to make sure no one was around and lowered his voice, "How you feel I mean, you're going to tell her right?"

"Who knows." Levi shrugged, Ben gave him an exasperated sigh.

"It's been a month! She's already settled and Penny is getting more forward in her advances you know." Ben warned. It wasn't like Levi didn't notice it, the way Penny would sometimes reach out and touch Hanji's face, or kiss her forehead telling her it was a 'friendly gesture', that scheming little turd… Levi was still too worried about saying something and fucking up their friendship, then Hanji really might turn to Penny for advice and that would be a mess… Levi had to really think this through… How he'd tell her.

"I'll tell her eventually." Levi sighed and Ben rolled his eyes.

"Sometime between now and the next 60 years?" Ben huffed. He was fed up with these young people, he still had a hunch that Hanji liked Levi too, but it was harder to tell with her, she was so thoughtful to everyone that it was harder to tell whether she was being nice or liked a person, unlike Levi… He was only particularly thoughtful towards her…

The sound of someone flying down the stairs pulled their attention from the conversation to the hallway.

"Where's Erwin?!" Hanji demanded with a crazed smile on her face. Levi and Ben cringed, neither of them had seen her for days, she'd been locked up in her room working desperately on Erwin's arm and it was showing now. Hr eyes were bloodshot, the hairband meant to hold her hair together was tangled in a mass of dirty brown hair, her clothes were disheveled and she smelled like- ugh, let's not even go there.

"Fuck Hanji, take a bath." Levi grumbled holding his nose, "You smell like back in the Recon Corp days."

"No time." she waved her empty hand before holding up the big silver thing she'd been holding in her other hand. It looked like a piece of armor, "I finished the arm!" She enthused holding it high, before looking around like a madwoman, "So where is he?"

"I saw him and Penny outside chopping firewood earlier, they might still be there." Ben offered and Levi cringed at Penny's name.

"Thanks!" Hanji yelled as she clamored for the door, bouncing off of the doorway once before taking off down the hall. Ben gave Levi a concerned look.

"She's always like that when she has something she's working on. Moblit was around to make sure she ate at least, she won't even let me in her workspace when she'd like that." Levi's voice took a bitter turn, "She only let's Moblit in her lab." Ben resisted the urge to laugh. It was funny to him how Levi seemed so tough and standoffish unless it was about Hanji, he was so worried about the people around him snatching her away, yet he could't seem to say anything to her! Ben could only hope those two figured it out soon.

Penny and Erwin had been out in the sun for awhile now chopping wood. Penny watched intently as Erwin took his turn and she took a break from helping him. It was the one chore she didn't mind since she'd always admired how Erwin managed to cut wood even with his missing arm it showed great tenacity, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't like those sweaty muscles gleaming in the sun… She may have been had over heels in love with Hanji, but every time Erwin swung that axe over his head and his muscles flexed, she couldn't help but bite her lip.

"It seems as though Hanji might be done with my arm soon, I hope it makes chores like these a bit easier, then I won't have to trouble you for your-" Erwin paused as he swung the axe, Penny bit her lip subconsciously as she watched, "-help." Erwin stood up straight and smiled at her while he wiped his brow in shirtless glory and Penny realized she'd never see this statuesque sight again once his arm was finished.

"Well you know, I don't mind. Sure I can cook and stuff, but I prefer outdoor tasks." Penny tried to sound nonchalant as she fanned herself with her hand, cooling the sweat from her own work earlier.

"Is that so?" Erwin smiled his gentleman like smile, struggling to keep his eyes on her eyes. She was only in a tight sleeveless shirt and a pair of very short shorts, an outfit that showed off every ample curve of hers and he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it, "Still, it must be a bother, I'm sure you'd rather be spending time with Miss Hanji." Erwin went on smiling as he tested the waters, Penny didn't reply, but she smiled at Hanji's name. Penny might have still been going after Hanji aggressively, but every now and then he got the feeling that Hanji might not have been her only interest, every now and then he could swear he felt her eyes on him, but he wasn't sure if it was really her looking at him, or his own wishful thinking.

From the morning Penny pressed her foot against his crotch until now, Erwin had been growing some interest in her and part of him thought he should just say something. The last thing he wanted was to end up like Levi and Hanji who were still stuck in a awkward place between lovers and friends, but with Penny's open feelings for Hanji, he wasn't sure what to do. He'd figured out quite a bit about Penny from her coming around to talk to him about Hanji sometimes, and once she got that out of her system, they would just chat, about any and everything and Erwin learned more about her personality; she wasn't just some cute hot headed young lady, she was smart and funny, clever and all around appealing, the kind of person you enjoyed being around…. He watched her a moment as she went on fanning herself, she paused once she felt his eyes so intently on her and looked over at him slowly.

"What? Something wrong?" She asked seriously concerned about why he might have been looking at her like that. Erwin blinked a moment and something in hit head just said _"Go for it"_

"Ahem… Well the thing is-" he started, not really sure how he was going to say this, and then it didn't matter because just as he started speaking, Hanji's voice came from around the other side of the house and Penny got to her feet with a big excited smile.

"ERWWWIIIIIINNNNN!" Hanji yelled as she stumbled onto the scene, Penny reached out and caught Hanji's arm before Hanji fell. Penny's nose wrinkles at Hanji's smell, but she shook it off, anything for the lady she loved after all, she'd even put up with her smell.

"The arm is finished!" Hanji held the arm up in the air as if it held the meaning of life itself.

Erwin's eyes lit up as he looked at the metal sparkling in the sunlight; it was beautiful, "Can I try it on?" He asked eagerly.

"Yes yes! That's why I came to find you!" Hanji laughed manically standing up straight, as she started undoing the letter buckled on the side of the mechanical arm in order for Erwin to slip the arm on, "There are buttons on the knuckles here that connect to a series of levers, if there's anything you need to grab, press the buttons and it will grip it lightly, if you need a tight grip on something like that axe, theres a little nob at the bottom that you can turn that gives you a very sturdy grip. And I made it all out of some broken 3DM gear that the old recruits had lying around, isn't that amazing?!" Hanji enthused as she slipped the arm onto Erwin.

The cold metal encased his skin and he tried to get a feel for it. The arm felt awkward and clunky at first, but it moved well with what was left of his arm… He tested the buttons and the fingers flexed as she said they would, he tested the nobs and watched the fingers tighten significantly.

"This is amazing!" Erwin laughed heartily, turning to look at Hanji who watched him with a huge grin.

"I'm so glad you like it!" She cheered, watching as he got more familiar with his arm, "Ahh, I'll leave you to get used to it then, I have to go finish planning my trip with Levi! With the arm done, he and I can finally go travel the outside world." as she spoke, Penny felt a pang in her chest.

"J-just Levi huh? Y-you sure there's not anyone else that should come along?" Penny asked almost desperately.

"Someone that should come along? Hmm… I don't know who would even want to." she snorted a laugh, clearly only half aware of reality thanks to many nights of no sleep, but she still turned and started to head back for the house, "Well like I said, I'm going to go back and work on planning the trip again, you two have fun!" Hanji cheered as she started to jog tiredly back to the house.

Penny watched her go and her shoulders slumped, "Dammit! She doesn't even think to bring me along, and if I ask to go, Levi will just come up with some excuse… I need to get her to _ask_ me to go." Penny sighed.

"I'm sure if it's meant to be it will be." Erwin sighed resting his calloused hand on her bare shoulder. Penny jumped not expecting the gesture… well more specifically not expecting how nice the way his hand felt on her bare skin, but the moment she jumped Erwin pulled back his hand, "Sorry if I frightened you." he stammered putting his hand back at his side. He figured it might have been a sign that he should take his own advice… Penny was hung up on Hanji after all, if it was meant to be then so be it, he'd been alone for a long time anyway, he'd live.

"No, it's fine." Penny smiled awkwardly back, "I'll start taking some of this wood back to the shed." she sighed looking at the pile of wood that they'd stacked up, before grabbing some and taking it towards the back of house. She needed to get away from him right now, her adoration for Miss Hanji didn't mean that she hadn't day dream once or twice about about her and Erwin dealing with a whole different kind of wood in the wood shed behind the house, but she knew it was passing lust. Erwin was nice and all and gorgeous, but Hanji was smart and kind and funny, she was like a freakin Goddess and Erwin just couldn't top that… Penny wanted to get away from him before she started thinking he could.

Hanji practically skipped back into the house, so pleased that Erwin liked his arm as she planned on how she was going to go on her adventure with Levi. She was ignoring the growling of her stomach and her spinning head and the smell of body odor the best she could as she marched in the house with a smile, but the second she opened the door, Moblit and Levi were on the other side wearing plastic gloves and cleaning masks. Hanji froze in her tracks… She'd seen this before in the past, the bad signs that she was going to be forced into taking a bath.

"Ahh!" She tried to run back to of the house, but Levi and Moblit were quick, way quicker than her when she was this tired. They'd each grabbed an arm of hers before dragging her up the stairs, she thought to protest, but she was too tired, so she just kind of let them drag her up the stairs with a heavy sigh as her plans for planning flew out of the window.

"Hmmm~" Hanji hummed as she settled into the hot water and bubbles that Moblit and Levi had prepared for her. Moblit had gone ahead to make her some food, change the sheets on her bed and clean up her work space, since she was afraid that Levi would just trash everything, which left Levi behind to scrub her clean.

"It only takes a few minutes." Levi was grumbling behind his mask as he viciously scrubbed her hair, it was so oily that he'd rinsed and repeated twice and the shampoo _still _wouldn't lather "A few minutes a day and you don't have to smell like shit, is that so hard?" Levi demanded.

"When I have more pressing things to do it is." She chuckled picking up some of the bubbles in her hand and leaning back to blow them in his face. He gave her an unimpressed stare as he went on scrubbing her hair.

"Tch… Well Erwin's arm is done so eat something and take a nap." Levi instructed pouring water over her head to flush away the shampoo.

The bubbles around her chest all popped leaving her chest bare, in a relax she wrapped her arms around her chest…. She wasn't sure why she did it, he'd seen her naked a lot of times, so why was she shy now? Still, she gathered more bubbles in her arms and pulled them around her chest, Levi noticed and resisted asking her about it. Was Hanji so into Penny that she'd suddenly cared if Levi saw her naked now? Maybe he shouldn't be here…

"I'll get Penny to help you with the rest." He sighed standing up. Hanji's eyes went wide, but she refused to turn around or she might risk her whole chest showing to him and for some reason that seemed embarrassing… But did he like Penny so much that he couldn't even bare the thought of looking at Hanji like this?

"A-ah, if you say so." She stammered, unsure as to why she even cared so much, "But you know, I always liked your head massages." She tacked on at the end.

Levi thought he should just leave anyway… But as he watched her dripping wet back, with hair slicked down against her skin, he couldn't get his feet to head towards the door and with a scoff he sat back down and dug his fingers into her scalp. She hummed happily as he massaged her head and he rolled his eyes… He couldn't even help spoiling her every now and then.

"Hnnngh." She hummed happily, sinking down in the bubbles as he went on massaging her scalp. She wasn't sure how it happened but for a second she nodded off, her nose dipped into the water and she jumped up sputtering.

"If you took baths regularly you'd know how to keep that from happening." Levi scoffed bitterly.

"Ugh… You and your baths, what are you going to do when we go on our trips, there aren't tubs out in the world you know." Hanji pointed out, she felt Levi's hands stop moving on her head.

"…. How long are we going to be away for?" she could hear concern in his voice and it made her smile. His clean freak ways really would never change.

"Who knows? I was thinking we could go on a few trips, not do it all at once you know? We could make maps so that we don't get lost and can keep track of the area better. I'm sure we'll find some rivers along the way for you to bathe in, Clean Freak." She smirked cheekily, leaning her head back to uo t him with bright eyes and wet clumped eyelashes, face slightly flushed from the warmth of the water, Levi couldn't help but find it adorable no matter how hard he tried no to.

"Not a bad idea." He poked her lightly on the forehead before it really sunk in that he could see clean down her chest, he stood before any ideas popped into his head. Reaching out, he grabbed a towel and beamed it at her smiling face, "Finish cleaning up and get something to eat and then get some rest." he instructed before turning and walking out of the room, before she could protest and before he needed up saying something stupid. His back pressed against the door as he shut it and he heaved a breath.

"That difficult?" Moblit's voice came from in front of him, Levi's eyes flashed up to see Moblit down the hall, leaving Hanji's room with an awfully amused look on his face, "Keeping your feelings for her hidden I mean, is it that difficult?" Moblit asked walking over to him, Levi rolled his eyes.

"Does everyone know it but her?" Levi grunted, first Ben and now Moblit, of all the people!

"Ahh, don't worry, hiding your feelings gets better," Moblit pat him firm on the shoulder with a sympathetic head nod, "I did it for years before I left, I hoped she'd show up to see me off and then I'd tell her, but she didn't show up… I thought I got over her all of this time, but I guess a man never forgets his first love." Moblit sighed, opening his eyes to see Levi's scowl. With a cough, Moblit slid his hand from Levi's shoulder.

"Tch, don't compare me to you." Levi grunted, "Why the hell did you wait around to say something?" Levi demanded, walking towards his own room so that he could be sure Hanji wasn't hearing any of this.

"For the same reason you're not saying anything! I didn't want to make her uncomfortable." Moblit was on Levi's heels following him to his room, "But you're different than me you know!" Moblit spat out before Levi could make it to his room and shut the door on him, it worked too, Levi paused with his hand on the door handle before turning to face Moblit.

"What are you going on about?" Levi grunted, trying to hide his own curiosity.

"I mean you and her stand on a different level that I could have ever had… You're her friend, I was just her assistant, you have at least a foot in the door to say something…" Moblit hung his head with a sad, yet resigned expression as if he'd already come to terms with it. Levi blinked for a moment, shocked that Moblit was giving him advice in a way… he never would have guessed in a million years that would happen.

Hanji stepped out of the bathroom with a loud satisfied sigh that made Moblit visibly jump while Levi merely turned to look at her. Her skin was gleaning in the day light that came in through the windows, her face looked more refreshed already and the little arch in her back as she stretched made Levi think a few less than 'best friend status' thoughts in that moment.

Moblit flashed Levi a knowing look and Levi flashed back a frustrated one, torn between telling her now and waiting. She was pretty settled in here after all, she'd stopped yelling Baasch's name angrily in her sleep so loudly it woke him up, she'd stopped knocking on his door in the middle of the night claiming that she was curious what he was up to. He went as far as to leave his candle lit the first three weeks they'd lived there so that she felt free to enter anytime she freaked out about the ball, she not once talked about the ball though, she talked about everything but the ball, her own way of healing. Those nights came to a stop lately though, he couldn't be sure if it was because she was sleeping well, or because she was confiding in Penny, but he still kept his candle lit late into the night, just in case she decided to pop over and talk his ear off; he didn't mind. Either way, it was clear she was becoming more comfortable, and maybe that was a sign he should go for it.

"Ah, fuck it." Levi grunted under his breath looking away from Moblit, but before he could even think to take a step towards her, Penny came bounding up the stairs with a big smile.

"Hanji!" Penny sang, running right into Hanji and wrapping her arms around her waist with a huge enthusiastic smile, "You look like a a million gold coins and you smell great too!" Penny praised, he chin resting on the spot between Hanji's breast thanks to her small height.

"Oh! Thanks Penny, it's that lemon scented soap you made me, it smells great, right?" Hanji smiled back, feeling happy and refreshed after her bath.

"Is it really?" Penny tilted her head up and took a deep breath, her nose nearly brushing Hanji's collarbones, "You're right, it smells great on you! I should make you more of those." Penny beamed up at Hanji and Hanji smiled back enthusiastically. Hanji quite liked Penny, she was always so cheerful and bright, even if every now and then she felt a little uncomfortable being a third wheel when Penny and Levi exchanged their lusty glances, she couldn't dislike Penny, she was like a happy puppy after all.

"That would be great." Hanji beamed back, patting Penny on the head. Penny happily squinted her eyes before letting her hands slowly fall from Hanji's waist. Hanji turned to go back down the hall, briefly waving at Levi and Moblit before shutting the door to her room.

Penny stood at the other end of the hall with a shit eating grin just for Levi before she stuck out her tongue at him and Moblit could feel the aura of rage an destruction coming off of Levi, but he didn't even dare to look.

"Ahh, I have to go… do… the thing!" Moblit laughed awkwardly before taking off dan the stairs, but neither Levi or Penny even seemed to notice him leave as they glared at one another.

"I'd love to hang around, Shorty, but I have to go finish preparing Hanji's supper so-" Penny's voice came in a sarcastic tone, her exaggerated curtsey didn't help either, but she quickly took off down the stairs as well.

Levi was left alone in the hallway, frustrated (in more ways than one) and sure that if he was going to say anything to Hanji it would have to be soon before that little copper haired goblin snatched up Hanji. He turned briefly thinking that going to her room now would be the right thing to do, that he should use march in there and tell her flat out; 'Hanji I….' Hmmm, how exactly could he say how he felt about her? Where there even words for things like that?

Hanji's stupid smile when Penny was hugging her and sniffing around her like some damn stray dog popped back into Levi's mind and he scowled to himself. It wasn't like he could just go up and do something like that without feeling like an idiot… No… There had to be a better way…

Muttering to himself in frustration, Levi turned and went to his room… Yeah, there had to be a better way… But what the hell was it?

**I really hope I'm portraying Levi's soft spot to Hanji well _ I feel like he's still kind of standoffish to everyone else (though not as much in the military because he has less on his mind and actually seems to like people he's just awkward AF) But I still think no matter what he's always kind of had a soft spot for her since he always puts up with her shit, and Hanji's still a bit of a scatter brain and not super keen on human relations and social cues thanks to too many nights in the lab and all, but she'll catch on since she'd not obligated to her lab… Ugh my levihan obsession right now TT^TT **

**Also thanks again for all of the kind reviews (they make me smile until my face hurts), I'm thinking the next chapter might be the last one, or the chapter after the next one if I can get it to fit well. Either way, I'm updating Popsicles less frequently so that I can focus on finishing this :p **


	22. The Start

**-Two weeks later-**

**I own no SNK**

Penny was on the hallway sitting on the floor in the dark with a bottle of wine in hand trying her best to hold back tears. She'd spent the last two weeks, hinting so much to Hanji that she wanted to go along with her and Levi that she was practically begging at this point, but Hanji_ still_ didn't seem to get it, and now Hanji and Levi were set to leave the next day. Penny thought her best bet was to take one last shot at Hanji by bringing some nice wine and cheese that Mikasa had given her earlier, informing Penny that Erwin had given it to them as a gift and 'the last thing Eren needed was alcohol'. Now Penny was out on the hallway listening to Hanji and Levi argue about what she did and didn't need to bring with her.

"What the hell do you need 8 bags of jars for?" Penny could hear Levi demanding through the wood of the door.

"For specimens!" Hanji cheered in reply.

"I'm not carrying that shit, you can take one bag of jars." he replied cooly.

"Oh come onnnnnnnn!" Hanji whined, Penny could only imagine the puppy dog eyes she was dropping on him right now because his next answer came with an annoyed sigh.

"Alright, three bags, I'll help with one, but if you sneak any of your shitty specimens into my bag, I'll set them all on fire" Levi snarled, clearly trying to sound more upset than he was and Penny only laughed bitterly to herself, taking a long swig from the wine bottle.

"Those two and their freaking love nest in there… They've been hanging around each other non stop for the past two weeks with all of their '_planning._'" Sarcastic air quotes were thrown in the air, "You'd think he'd at least give her a break the night before they leave! What is he? Her sidekick?!" She grumbled to herself, grabbing some of the cheese she'd brought for Hanji and roughly shoving it in her face, miserably wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve.

Penny's eyes felt hot as she heard Hanji laughing at something Levi must have said or done, something Penny missed in her own internal monologue… Something Hanji must have liked… It frustrated her to no end how all Hanji ever flashed her way was a kind smile, a friendly smile even, the warm kind that you wanted to bask in, but that's all she got, the wild laughter that sent her brown hair flying all over and made her nose wrinkled… Penny couldn't get that no matter how hard she tried. While Hanji might have let Penny hug her and place light pecks on her cheeks every now and then, even smiling at Penny when it happened every now and again, Hanji never moved to hug her first, she never let her arms hang lazily over Penny's shoulders the way she did with Levi… No matter how much Penny tried to be someone Hanji never wanted to let go of, it seemed like Levi had already filled the role of being that person… All of Penny's dreams of waking up next to Hanji and seeing her bare skin in the morning light, all of her dreams of Hanji's smile being hers to see everyday, they crumbled with each light hearted chuckle that Hanji barked out on the other side of the door and sent silent, unnoticed tears tumbling down Penny's face while she sat alone on the outside, wishing she could enter their little world.

"Can't sleep?" Penny jumped, her hand presses against her chest as she looked up to see Erwin standing over her. She frowned up at his gently smiling face, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Go away, I don't need your pity." her words were hardly above a whisper as she clumsily got to her feet and gathered her wine and cheese to find somewhere less… Erwin-y to enjoy them.

"Did I come off as pitying you?" Erwin asked, brows raised, "I apologize if I did, I was actually coming to ask if you would mind having a drink with me." he held his hand out presenting another bottle of wine that he'd been holding. Penny looked hesitantly at the wine, opening her mouth to refuse, but a shake of the bottle of in her own hand was only rewarded with the sound of a few droplets rolling around inside and she slowly nodded her head.

"Fine." she sighed holding up her tray of cheese, "I couldn't finish the rest of this without more wine… And I guess drinking with you is the only way I'm getting that bottle, huh?" She sighed.

"It would seem so." He smiled kindly, but Penny rolled her eyes… He could smile as kindly as he wanted, he was still bribing her into drinking with him; she was a bit impressed that he had the guts to try it though.

Penny followed him to his room on the other end of the hall wordlessly watching his back as they moved. They entered the small candle lit room and she flopped down in a chair with a table that was near the window.

"Alright, I'm here so pass the booze." She sighed heavily, holding out her hand and waiting for the cool feel of the wine bottle to fill that hand.

With a laugh, Erwin held the bottle out with his mechanical hand. Penny slowly took the bottle, seeing her puffy, tear streaked face in the metal of where his new arm was… She felt like a bit of an ass crying over Hanji as she looked at her face… She looked up at Erwin for a moment and wondered if he cried when he lost his arm… She couldn't picture it.

"Looks like you're getting used to your arm." Penny commented, taking a swig from the bottle.

"Yes, it's far better than the alternative of no arm at all, I'm thankful that Hanji was kind enough to take the time to make it for me, especially knowing how badly she wanted to leave here and explore." Erwin reached out with his actual arm and popped some of Penny's cheese into his mouth… Penny thought to protest, but he was sharing his alcohol after all.

"Looks like her wish is coming true pretty soon." Penny huffed bitterly, taking another swig of wine.

"Is that why you're drinking so much?" Erwin asked with a faint smile before gently taking the bottle from her hand and taking a long swig of his own. Penny didn't think he was he type to drink without a glass, too proper looking for that, but… well drinking from the bottle looked natural to him, he might not have been as proper as he looked… Hmm.

"Why are you drinking then?" She asked, as he handed her back the bottle.

"Hmm." Erwin paused, looking away from her a moment, "I suppose I'm drinking for the same reason I always drank. I'm watching people I care about leave, I'm wondering if they will be safe and I'm seeing someone suffer.

It took a second for Penny's slightly drunk mind to process all of that. She knew it was Levi and Hanji he was worried about leaving and getting hurt out in the wild on their own, but who was suffering…? Was someone in the village sick? Everyone here was so nice, it would be a shame if that happened, "Who is it, who's suffering? If someone's sick I guess I could drop by and make some soup for them"

Erwin smiled to himself for a moment, looking at Penny's wide amber eyes that were suddenly filled with concern for whoever might have been hurting in the village, "Someone who's so upset that her lips are turning purple." Erwin held out his metal hand and Penny saw her reflection again, only now noting that her lips had changed colors from the wine and she scowled at Erwin…

"You teasing me?" She stood up suddenly, slamming her hands down on the table, but Erwin hardly even flinched.

"I'm not teasing you, I'm worried. You're really upset that Hanji isn't responding to you the way you'd like…" Erwin frowned deeply , his jaw clenching as he did… It was clear that he was sincerely concerned for her and Penny yet again found herself trying to deny to herself that her heart skipped a beat because of him… She'd been trying to get her heart to stop doing that, but Erwin was always popping up, helping her cook meals when Levi and Hanji were busy planning for their trip and Ben was off where ever he went to, when she went on walks, he was the one to show her around and get her more familiar with the people here, he cheered her up now and then when she felt bad so naturally that she wasn't sure if he was trying or not. Her drunk brain, right now, couldn't handle this heart of hers that kept trying to skip a beat for him.

Erwin sat in silence not daring to look up at Penny after what he'd just said. He thought he might have been closer with her after the last few months, but perhaps she didn't think of them close enough where he could say something like that to her, but he was worried about her. Penny spent so much of her time trying to claim Hanji's attention with fancy meals and little physical gestures, and Erwin watched every time as Hanji reacted more like a big sister or a good friend and less than what Penny wished Hanji would react like. Erwin watched Penny try so hard to get Hanji's attention, but Hanji's attention was taken up by Levi and Levi was pretty obviously trying to keep it that way, making up little excuses to get Hanji to be with him alone… Erwin didn't blame him, especially after all Levi had been through, but watching Penny try so hard just to have her feelings stepped on was starting to bother him… Seeing her cry in the hallway alone, made him upset… He wanted to hold her and wipe the tears away… When was it that he started liking her? It was most likely when she stood her ground against Levi right off the bat, that was quite an impressive feat after all, he could just hope that his comment just now wasn't going to ruin what little trust he felt Penny had in him. She'd been quiet for too long… But he still didn't dare look up at her… He reached for the bottle something to distract his hands, but as he did, her hand reached out and clasped around his.

"Penny?" He asked, slowly looking up at her. She was looking at him with a flushed face.

"What is it exactly that you want, Blondie?" She sighed heavily, moving to stand in front of him. His confused glance was the only response she got so she rolled her eyes, "You're worried about my feelings being hurt? Is that it?" she scoffed, "Why would you worry about something like that? It's not like we're best friends or anything all of a sudden."

"Penny-" Erwin started.

"Ahh! I get it!" Penny laughed heartily, you must be like all of the other guys huh?" She snorted a drunken laugh as the alcohol _really _started to hit her. Erwin sighed, that actually was _not_ what he wanted.

"Penny, thats not-" he started again, but she was already convinced that she'd found her answer and with the boldness of alcohol coursing through her, she threw one leg over his lap and sat down, straddling him, her hands grabbed at the back of his head and she moved her lips to his ear.

"Is this what you're after? A one night stand?" She asked, her tone low and sultry and Erwin had to practically dig his fingers into the table to keep them from reaching up and resting on her thin waistline or tangling themselves in her hair. Thank all that was good in that world for his military training that kept him disciplined enough to have the self control to answer her honestly.

"This is not what I'm after, Penny. I think you know that." He scowled, grabbing her shoulder firmly and holding her away.

"That's not what you're little friend is saying, I can feel him against my thigh and he wants to play." She chuckled dryly, making a move to lean into him, but he firmly held her away with his hand.

"Of course I would have a reaction, you are a strong, brave, and very attractive woman that I would not mind having right now if I thought it was appropriate," Erwin answered honestly, "But this is not appropriate, you're drunk and I think we both know you don't want to be doing this either." Erwin spoke firmly, his eyes steadily meeting hers.

Penny stared at him a moment, let out half a laugh and fell into stunned silence. Was he rejecting her right now? First Hanji and now him? She wanted to be mad, but she knew he had a point, her watering eyes knew he had a point, the sore spot on her heart knew he had a point…

"W-why the heck are you being so nice to me?" She demanded pulling back again, trying to get a good look at his face, but she couldn't see him well thanks to her tear filled eyes and the dim lighting of the room.

"I like you." He said it simply and even though she couldn't see him well, she knew that there must have been a gentle look on that statuesque face of his. A bitter laugh escaped her, a tear rolled down her cheek, she felt the calloused thumb of a man who was once a soldier brush away the tear.

"This wasn't who I wanted to hear that from." She chuckled dryly, trying desperately to calm her heart that had started racing the moment she heard those words.

"I know, I apologize." He nodded, "But I can hear your heart beating from here… What should I take that to mean?" He asked bluntly, his hand still resting on her cheek, brushing away each tear that spilled.

"Take it to mean that I don't really want to like you-" she sighed, Erwin nodded, he knew there was a chance that he'd be shot down, he would get over it but-, "I don't want to like you-" Penny started up again, seeing how his face had deflated a moment before, "I can't seem to help it." Erwin's eyes went a little wide. He suddenly wasn't so sure what to do for a moment and his hand froze as her much smaller one came over his own that was still resting on her cheek. She leaned forward, ready to press her lips against his, this moment felt too right for her not to, but just as she did, Erwin used every ounce of his willpower to turn his face away.

"You're drunk… This is a conversation that would be better had sober." He turned back to explain before she could flash him that hurt look again.

"You're right." She smiled, "You really are a gentleman." she took her hands from his hair and lifted herself from his lap, "We can talk this over in the morning." she yawned, "Until then, I'll sleep here." she flopped down on his bed and he watched her in shock… Was she really just going to-?

"You coming or what? A girl can't spoon by herself you know, believe me, I've tried." Penny laughed lightly, bring to lighten the mood a bit. Erwin smiled to himself at her stab at humor and walked over. He didn't want to seem too forward, he wanted to hold her, and she_ had _offered to let him, but all the same, she was drunk. Her glassy eyes looked over at him clearly a bit perplexed.

"Not going to hold me?" She pouted, "I'm sad and I need a hug and we've just exchanged feelings and you don't want to hold me?" She grumbled sitting up and crossing her arms.

"Not yet." he smiled brushing her hair back with his hand, "You still had feelings for Hanji and you're still drunk. When things are a little more clear, then I will." he smiled a regretful kind of smile, "Pardon me if it seems a little selfish but, I'd rather wait to be the only person you want to hold you before I do. Please don't feel as though I'm pushing you away, but this is the first time since I first joined the military that I've pursued a woman , and I would prefer to do it respecting your feelings." his smile came a little awkwardly now, that sent guilt flooding through her even through the alcohol…

"No, you're right. I'm the one being selfish." she snorted. Erwin was nice, but he'd been through war the same as Levi and Hanji did, longer than the both of them from what she could gather, which meant he hadn't been with a woman for a really long time… She studied his face for a moment and could only wonder who he found comfort in back then when he was leading the Survey Corps. Did he have anyone to help shoulder that burden of sending all of those people to die? Did he have nightmares the way Hanji sometimes said she did? How did he manage everything alone? The questions flooded her brian and pushed the alcohol out a bit, sobering her up just a little.

Penny let out a tired sigh before reaching out and taking his hand, "I understand where you're coming from, I'm sure one day I'll be able to say I like you and only you with confidence. My love for Hanji is clearly one sided… I don't want you to have a one-sided love too since… I might like you quite a bit." She admitted, "But holding hands, it's not too bad is it?" she yawned leaning back on the bed. He thought of his answer quickly, but before his answer reached his lips, she'd already nodded off

"It's not." He nodded with another soft smile. Gods above how he wanted to hold her in his arms, and burry his face in her hair and whisper in her ears whatever nonsense came to mind at that point, but he resisted the urge and instead opted to hold her hand tighter, and placed a quick kiss on her cheek before sinking down in the bed next to her. Holding her would have been nice… But the gentle warmth from holding her hand like this… well, that wasn't too bad either.

**The next morning**

"Leeeeeeviiiiiii~!" Hanji sang barelling into his room early in the morning with her three bags in hand. Levi looked up from where he was tying up his own bags and sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ready? I'm ready! I can't wait to get out there, so hurry up and get your shoes on, right?" She cheered buzzing around his room with excitement in her eyes and too much energy for her own good.

"Yeah, yeah." He couldn't help to smirk inwardly at her enthusiasm as he reached out, lifting one of hers off of her shoulders and putting it with his stuff, "I told you I'd carry one of yours."

"Oh yeah, thanks." she smiled back softly and Levi turned his back to her and headed for the door. He really just didn't want to see that damn smile so early in the morning, that same damn excited and gentle smile that he'd been seeing for the past two weeks. It a was driving him crazy. He had to spend time with her to help her pack for the trip and that worked nicely since the more he was with her, the less she was with Penny, but he really couldn't stand looking at that smile anymore. It made him want to tell her use how much he liked her, but he couldn't seem to find the words to say it, and it wasn't like he hadn't tried.

The week before Levi had in fact took a stab at telling her how he felt, he'd made her breakfast one morning, baked her a whole loaf of raisin bread, cooked eggs and meat, the whole deal, he brought it up to her room and placed it by her bedside table, trying to look nonchalant about it despite how stupid he felt doing it. She'd rolled over and blinked tiredly at him and he stared at her a moment as she rubbed her eyes, he took in her messy hair, and the admittedly cute and clueless way she was staring up at him and he suddenly found himself saying it; "Shitty Glasses, I like you." he waited a moment for her response, frozen in shock that he'd said it, but all she did was smile and stir in her bed as she moved to sit up, her hands went up to her ears and she popped out two little white fluffy things.

"Sorry, I was testing out these ear plug I'd just made the night before in case we have to sleep somewhere loud, what did you say?" She asked and Levi frowned.

"Forget it." He grumbled leaving the food there and leaving before he snapped. And he decided that would be his first and last time trying to confess to her, but every time she fucking smiled at him now, every time she laughed at something she found amusing or her eyes lit up with that spark behind her glasses, not telling her started to feel more and more impossible. Now a lot of time had passed now and they were all ready to go on an adventure and he still hadn't said it.

Levi rolled his eyes at his own stupidity over this situation. All this _'feeling' _shit was annoying… Had things been this hard with Petra? He couldn't even remember anymore, he was too busy back then to even have the time to worry about this shit so much, now he had time to think about emotions since there were no titans after his ass. When there were no titans, sleeping with someone for quick thrill or as a confession wasn't a big deal, no one expected to live long enough for it to matter, but now… if he messed this up and Hanji_ didn't f_eel the same way, he knew for sure he'd be alive for a long time before he would hear the end of it… But biting his tongue wasn't something he was too good at… It was driving him crazy.

With an irritated sigh, Levi stepped out into he hallway, just in time to see Penny step out of Erwin's room with messy hair and gently close the door behind her. She turned to head back to her own room when she saw Levi staring at her with an amused look on his face and she sighed irritably, as she tried to ignore him and go back to her own room.

"Erwin?" Was all Levi asked, sounding smugly amused as she passed.

"Yeah, so what?" Penny snapped irritably looking up at Levi's grey eyes, "He's kind, easy on the eyes and he likes me apparently so why not give it a shot?" Penny crossed her arms ready for a fight.

"And Hanji?" Levi asked. He didn't miss the way Penny pouted at her name.

"Well, I don't think I can get her attention with_ someone _always in the way." she scowled. Levi snorted a humorless laugh, right up until Penny firmly placed a hand on his shoulder with an intense glare as she squeezed down with the strength of ten men, "You better keep her safe out there though, if something happens to her, I'll come after you, so if you want to live I think you know what to do." Penny scowled darkly.

"What's this?" Hanji's voice came now and they both turned around, Penny looking flushed and Levi looking annoyed. Hanji was pretty sure she knew what she was witnessing; Levi and Penny saying their goodbyes, why else would Penny's hand be on Levi's shoulder like that? Hanji had gotten the feeling the last few weeks that Penny wanted to go on the trip, but she wasn't sure if she should bring it up since Levi seemed to be avoiding Penny lately. It seemed to Hanji that Levi was hanging around with her more than Penny lately, she figured the two had a fight and the last thing she wanted to do was to get involved in their relationship… Though, she hated to admit it, but she was a bit glad to be going with just Levi… She wasn't even sure why she felt so relieved that Penny wasn't going, but she did…

It was weird, though… It seemed more and more the time she spent with Levi, it felt like she was in her old lab again, her heart would race faster, she felt excited whenever he dropped by to ask how packing was going, it was quite strange indeed… She'd felt that way before… About him too, but that was a very long time ago, so long ago, she'd pretty much forgot about it until just now, waaaaay back before she slept with him all of those years ago. Hanji had squashed those feelings though, once she found out about Petra, Hanji let those feelings go knowing very well that she could never replace Petra. Penny on the other hand was quite like Petra though, so Hanji should be happy for him finding a new lover, so why the heck was she feeling funny about him now? Maybe it was the air because… Well there was no way she could like him _again_ right? …Right!?

Hanji laughed awkwardly as she watched Penny and Levi, her chest pulling uncomfortably the more she became conscious of the fact that her feelings for Levi might not have been strictly 'best friends' as she had been so sure they were. Levi gave her a funny look, but Hanji kept her cool, she didn't let anyone see how uncomfortable she was as she thought of an excuse to get away; "Ah, sorry if I was interrupting your farewells." Hanji blurted, "I'll just go wait downstairs." Feeling proud of her excuse, she started to retreat, but then-

"No, no it's fine!" Penny blurted reaching for Hanji's hand before Hanji could brush past them and wait downstairs, "I don't have much to say to Levi anyway, I should say goodbye to you too though." Penny smiled lightly, deciding she was going to take one last shot at showing Hanji the feelings she had for her before deciding to hold onto Erwin. Bracing herself for rejection, Penny boldly reached out, grabbing Hanji's cheeks between her hands before gently pressing her lips against Hanji's, willing everything she felt for the taller glasses wearing weirdo of a scientist into that one kiss, praying that when she opened her eyes, she would find the strength to do what she needed to do. Penny pulled back and searched Hanji's face, but just as she expected, Hanji's face wasn't red, she didn't even look flustered.

"That's a very strong goodbye, I could only imagine the one you gave Levi." Penny struck Hanji as a really affectionate person though, so she didn't give it much thought, she just laughed looking over to Levi who was now staring at them slack jawed… Hanji'd never seen him make a face like that before, it was certainly one for the books, though she wasn't shocked that he looked so surprised, he had after all just seen the woman he love lock lips with someone else.

Hanji of course was half right in her assumption; Levi was standing there in utter shock that he'd just seen the woman he loved lock lips with someone else, by some imp too, to add insult to injury! He wasn't sure to be shocked more by Penny's boldness or Hanji's cluelessness.

"Well, I did strongly like having you around!" Penny smiled brightly, though her heart ached a bit, it wasn't so bad… Getting no reaction from Hanji even after that, it clearly meant Hanji never even saw Penny as an option, and Penny finally took the hint that the universe was giving her; it was time to move on.

"I strongly like being around with everyone, it'll be fun to hang out when Levi and I return." Hanji smiled brightly, warm like the sun and Penny watched that smile fondly one last time, deciding that Hanji's sunshine wasn't meant to shine on her, it was clearly meant for the grey eyed pale goblin that Hanji seemed so fond of… He could use a tan anyway.

"Well, I was just going to clean up and get something to eat, will you two be around long enough to join me?" Levi could hear Penny choking up, and see her eyes watering, he felt for the imp right then.

"No, we're going now, Hanji's been whining all week about leaving early and I'm sure you have things to do too." Levi's eyes lifted up to Erwin's room silently and Penny smirked to herself.

"You're right, I guess I have things to worry about other than you two." Penny sighed, "But you two be safe, alright? Don't go wresting anymore bears, Miss Hanji." Penny's smile came gently and reserved.

"I'll think about it!" Hanji smiled cheerfully as she made her way down the stairs, eager to get this party started, and oddly happy that at least for a few weeks, she won't have to see Levi and Penny exchanging longing glances. At least for a few weeks, it would be her and Levi just like in the past.

"Oi! Four Eyes, I'm not fighting another bear for you, I'll let the damn thing eat you." Levi threatened, starting after her, but Penny grabbed his arm.

"Good luck out there you Angry Turd. Hanji's a tough nut to crack." Penny smirked, not looking at him, but past him, after all she was a sore loser, she didn't want to shake hands with her competitor.

"You think I don't know?" Levi scoffed.

"And you better fight any bears that she decides to wrestle!" Penny scowled half heartedly; she already knew he would… She knew it the night she saw Levi carrying Hanji from the ball with eyes like a madman. From the night she saw just how far Levi would go to protect Hanji, she realized that deep down she knew all along she'd never be able to beat him out… And Hanji would be happier with him anyway… They were like a perfect set.

"I think you know the answer to that." Levi smirked lazily before heading to the stairs, "Take care of my old boss, he's a fucking bleeding heart." Levi tossed over his shoulder before disappearing from sight.

"I will." Penny smirked to herself once he was down the stairs… She heard the front door open and shut, she took a moment to let it sink in that Hanji and Levi _really _had just left and she wouldn't be seeing them for awhile. She was more okay with that idea than she had been before going to Erwin's room last night. Penny laughed to herself as she remembered Levi's parting words to her… Now that she was officially rejected by Hanji, she was going to put her energy into getting affection that was actually obtainable… Just like how Levi was trying to do all along… She vaguely wondered for a moment that if she and Levi hadn't both liked Hanji, would they have been good friends?

"Ahh, doesn't matter either way." Penny mumbled to herself as she looked out of the hallway window to watch Levi and Hanji walk off towards the woods; Hanji swinging her arms excitedly and Levi scowling at her, probably warning her not to hit him and she smiled. She kinda wished them luck… But only a little.

**You guys and your kind reviews ;_; I'm gonna do my best to make the ending really good. I might do the next chapter as the 'Final chapter' and than en 'epilogue' because I like writing this story.**


	23. Just Fine

**I own no SNK**

**Last full chapter :o**

Hanji looked excitedly down at her compass, roughly drawing out landmarks on a sheet of paper, tracing the path that she and Levi were creating, using large boulders and abnormally shaped trees as landmarks while they walked.

The world outside was amazing! Her notebook quickly filled up the more they walked on the very first day they were out there. Pictures of flowers, plants and animals that she'd never seen before, all filled her books with notes on how the interacted. The excitement was more or less consuming her, but when she went overboard Levi always brought her back down to reality before she did anything too reckless

As their days exploring together passed and turned into weeks, Hanji found herself more and more impressed by Levi's interest in the outside world as well. He might not have been a scientist, but his observations on behavior of the wildlife and plant life was actually quite impressive and she found herself pleasantly surprised at getting caught up in some friendly intellectual banter with him. She smiled to herself as they spoke and she realized that if he hadn't grown up the way he did and had actually had a chance to go to school like she had, he probably would have been her equal as humanities brightest right along with being humanities strongest… It wasn't a bad thought… She found herself sketching him interacting with the plant and animal life right in with her notes… She did it on separate pages of course, because to her, humanities grumpiest looking mildly amused by the birds that flew around his head was just as interesting as the birds themselves, so was the relieved look on his face when they'd found a river to bathe in and get clean water. Well she thought the look on his face was nice until he was forcing her to take a bath too… She didn't mind so much, he scrubbed her back for her, so it wasn't too bad.

The time they spent together passed quickly as they traveled and fought off wild life that Hanji often agitated out of curiosity and they grew closer to the point where they worked more like one person than two. Hanji would find her jars of specimens all labeled neatly and arranged in her bag in a way that made finding the ones she was working with the most easy and Levi would often find his clothes washed hanging out dry the next morning when he hadn't been the one who'd done it. Without even speaking, they knew each other well enough to not have to ask for anything, as the other would already do it, but that didn't mean that they didn't speak, they stayed up late into the nights sometimes chatting away. Hanji noted that she'd never seen Levi talk so freely as he did since they'd been out here… She really liked being able to interact with him like that, admittedly, more than she thought she should have…

With time passing so quickly, it felt like they'd only just left, when they started heading back, and with only one day left before it seemed like they would be back in town, Levi and Hanji found themselves sitting around their small fireplace in silence for the first time since they'd been traveling together.

* * *

Levi peeked over at Hanji and let it sink in that this would be the last night alone for awhile and he still hadn't told her that he… Liked her. He watched her jump as she burnt her fingers on the meat they'd been cooking over the fire, before he handed her his that was already cooked and cooled and took hers from her.

"Thanks." She smiled at him and a shock went through him.

"Yeah." He replied, looking into the fire and away from her… He had no idea how the hell he'd been able to not tell her after all this time, but he didn't want to tell her while they were out here and then have her feel like she needed to be on guard around him the entire trip.

Still chewing on the food that Levi had handed her, Hanji peeked up at Levi who was gazing into the fire with a worried look on his face… She often caught a glimpse of him looking like that … Vaguely troubled… She knew the feeling, but she was sure that he was making that face for a different reason than she was… The feeling she'd been trying to squash for some time now, would sometimes flare up when they spoke, or when she caught him looking up at the sky in wonder, or when he'd smile at her, it made her heart pump faster, not that she could say anything about it. Their friendship was more important to her than her feelings, she'd hold them in, she was confident she could, because having him as a friend was far better than not having the grumpy little guy around at all … She knew he had Penny waiting for him back at the camp and it would be wrong for her to say anything about her own feelings knowing that… At least that's what she was telling herself anyways, but the more time passed the more her resolve was weakening.

"Hey Levi." Hanji smiled around her mouth full of the forrest critters that they'd caught earlier, "Do you hear those sounds? They sound nice don't they?"

He stopped eating and listened; frogs croaked, owls hooted, animals growled, groaned and hissed off in the distance somewhere, they were all sounds he'd heard before, but now that she'd mentioned it, in a time of peace, those sounds did sound a lot nicer, they were usually so busy talking that neither of them noticed it.

"Yeah." He kept his eyes on his food as he spoke.

"It sounds like music." She hummed closing her eyes. He let out a brief laugh through his nose as he watched her get to her feet. In a few seconds, she'd started shimmying her shoulders and bobbing her head around, wiggling her arms like lethargic waves.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked staring at her with a faint amused grin that he couldn't have fought off if he'd tried.

"Dancing, wanna join me?" She offered him her hand, and he waved it away.

"I don't dance."

"Aww, come on are you embarrassed? It's just us out here, and I don't think I have any right to tease you." she laughed extending her hand out to him again. He looked up at her for a moment, her face looked nice lit by the light of the fire… And how the hell could he say no to that damn smile?

"Fine." he sighed, brushing off his hands and taking hers.

Hanji let out a maniacal laugh that matched her dancing style as she bobbed around him, flailing her arms and shaking her hips. Levi stood borderline still watching her, trying really hard to keep his eyes off of her swaying bottom as she went on laughing wildly.… He liked how happy and free she looked. Back in the military there were times he mistook her cheerful but borderline insane grins as a carefree smile, but now that they were actually free and he saw her smiling now… He realized that this was her actual carefree smile not that, that she wasn't quite as carefree as everyone thought back then, just overworked and generally clinging to what humanity she had left. Hahhh... He might not have liked dancing… But with her, it wasn't too unbearable.

"Why are you just standing there?" She asked, taking his hands in hers and spinning him around, "This is supposed to be fun!" she smiled brighter, pulling him closer so that he had no choice but to follow her wild lead… Not that he resisted too much.

Hanji smirked down at Levi as they danced around the fire, she'd finally found something that he wasn't particularly good at, his feet stomped heavily, not at all with the same grace he had on the battle field. From the way his brows knitted ever so slightly more than usual, she could tell that no matter how hard he was trying to look like it was all a bother, he was still trying hard to keep up with her… It was cute. Hanji was glad she was dancing now… It was a good excuse for the flush that came to her face upon contact with him, it was a great excuse for why her heart was racing.

* * *

Time passed, Hanji had danced herself breathless but she kept dancing, she never thought she'd ever get Levi to dance, she wasn't going to let him off too easily, but her tired legs betrayed her and she collapsed on the ground, bringing Levi down with her as she tumbled down, pulling him with her as he just narrowly caught himself before he could crush her. her breathless laugh filled the small clearing that they were using as their campsite for the night.

"What the hell Four eyes?" Levi couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him as he watcher her laugh her head off.

"That was fun." She giggled through heavy breathing.

"I thought you'd sprain something with your crazy dancing style."

"Well, it was the only way to get you to dance and get you to stay on your toes!" She laughed wildly again, tossing her head to the side, amused with the way it echoed in the forrest.

"Tch. With your crazy ass laughter, at least the animals will stay away." She nodded after a moment.

"What a wonderful traveling companion I am." She teased.

Levi chuckled glancing lazily down at her face, his expression not at all mirroring the frenzy inside him that her warm brown eyes staring up at him with a flushed face from dancing had caused, his fingertips found their way to her face as he pushed a piece of hair that was plastered to her forehead away.

Hanji's eyes locked on his, her smile fell away as she realized that Levi was so close to her that if she just tilted her head, she'd be kissing him… it hit her how badly she was tempted to do that and her smile fell away as she remembered the reason she couldn't; Penny… Levi quickly mistook her smile disappearing as her disliking his gesture and he pulled his hand away muttering an apology and mentally kicking himself for even doing that as he moved to get up, but then Hanji grabbed his arm before she could stop herself, not wanting him to move away. His eyes fell on her, she looked as shocked as he felt, before she cleared her throat.

"Ahaha! Sorry, I thought there was a bug on your arm, that would have been bad." She chuckled awkwardly, sitting up along with him so that they were both sitting next to each other in the dirt… Levi gave her a dubious look, too distracted by her grabbing his arm to really think about the fact that he'd already bathed, and now he was sitting in the dirt. If there was one thing Levi knew about Hanji, it was that she would never hurt a fly… Literally, she might catch one and test on it, but she'd never just smack one dead like she claimed she'd been trying to do.

"W-we should set up camp!" she stumbled getting to her feet, as her foot caught in one of the tents that Levi'd sewn up for them before the trip and she nearly tripped into the fire. The instincts of a soldier never really died out of Levi though.

"Hanji!" He yelled, on his feet and pulling her back, right before the flames could lick her face. She fell backwards into him, his arms wrapped around her as he braced for the fall that sent him tumbling onto his backside.

"You okay?" Thanks to their position his voice poured right into her ear, her face got hotter then when it was next to the fire a moment ago, he was supposed to be her friend, but with him pressed up against her like that, it was more and more clear to her that that was not at all what she wanted him to remain as.

"I'm fine!" She squeaked before she could say something potentially friendship ruining as she scrambled out of his arms and over to look at the tent, "Ahem… But I don't think the tent can say the same." Her hand went through a big hole that her little tumble had made as she turned to show Levi who merely let out a tired sigh.

"We should be back in the village by tomorrow anyway we could just share a tent." he tried to sound nonchalant as he turned to start putting up the remaining tarp tent.

"W-well that's the most practical thing to do!" She tried not to sound too anxious as she moved to kick dirt into where their fire was, the last thing they needed was animals coming to where they were sleeping to get warmth from the fire.

"_It's not like I never shared a bed with the guy, no need to get nervous now."_ Hanji was trying to convince herself as she watched the last sparks of the fire die out. The night before the ball she'd slept in his room, she even held his hand and it was fine… Of course that was before she realized she might have liked him and before Penny… Now she peeked over at him from the side other eye while he put the tent together and she tried to convince herself that it would all be fine as long as she didn't say anything, it was just one night of sharing a tent right? How bad could it be?

* * *

Later, they both found out just how bad it could be. Halfway through the night, there was a sudden downpour, their things were in the the tent already and then tent they'd made more or less kept the water out, but the sound of the water pouring down against the outside of their shelter kept them both awake and staring up into the utter darkness of the tent over aware of the person next to them.

"Guess we're not getting any sleep, huh?" Hanji chuckled afar a long period of listening only to the downpour, she figured they might as well make the best of it.

"Guss not."

"You think it'll clear up before we leave tomorrow?"

"It can only rain like this for so long…"

"Ah I see… I bet Penny misses you." Hanji smirked to herself… She'd miss him if he wasn't around.

"…I doubt it?" Levi replied, confused as to why Penny was an example of someone who'd miss him, they weren't even close… Hanji was quiet for a moment after that, he could hear her shuffling around next to him, "What are you doing?"

"Hmm? Oh I was trying to fix this blanket, the rain made the temperature fall a lot tonight I'm a little cold."

More silence between the two as she shuffled around more and more… It didn't sound to him like her rearranging of her blanket was helping her any.

"Why not just come closer then?" he felt stupid for bringing it up as soon as the words left his mouth, "It's cold and these blankets are complete shit-" he started to over explain and despite his calm tone, he was nervous thinking he might have said something that she found strange… that was until he felt warmth next to him. He couldn't see her at all in the dark, but she was close now… The smell of sweat and the outdoors was on her skin and hair, and he could smell it near him now, her hair brushed his nose as she settled next to him, he heard her mumble an apology as she came close, very close, but just enough to keep from touching. He felt her move to shift his blanket over her and placed her blanket on top of the both of them, but he couldn't move… He didn't trust himself to move, because the move he wanted to make was to hold her and he doubted that would go over well.

"Sorry I'm taking up so much of your space, especially with Penny and all." she laughed awkwardly, settling in next to him, the body heat shared in the small space between and locked underneath the two blankets them warming her slowly.

"Why do you keep bringing up Penny?" He grunted, shaken loose from his daze with jealousy as Penny's name came from Hanji's mouth again, "Do you love her that damn much that you have to keep talking about her?"

"Wha-?" the confusion was thick in Hanji's response, "Love her? I like her, but loving her is your job right? I see how you two look at each other." Hanji meant to laugh there, but she forgot. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about his relationship with Penny.

"Me and that imp?" Levi snorted, "Not a chance in hell… She's been getting in the damn way all the time, it's fucking irritating."

"Wait what do you mean?" Hanji was sitting up now, really confused… the thing that had been keeping her from saying anything all of this time was Penny and they weren't even together? "But you two were always looking at each other!" Hanji accused.

"Yeah because she kept fucking looking at you." The words came flying past Levi's lips before he could stop them… Hanji was silent, it freaked him out more because he couldn't even see her face in the darkness of the tent, but he knew she was smart… She would put two and two together… He might as well just get it off his chest…

"Four eyes." he sighed, sitting up in disbelief that right now, trapped in a tent in the pouring rain was going to be when he told her, "I like you."

"W-well of course, that's what friends do." She answered quickly, almost positive that what she was hoping he was saying and what meant were two different things.

"No… I mean…" he sighed, "Hanji, you're messy and dirty and loud and kind of obnoxious sometimes, you're the kind of person that should drive me crazy… But shit…You keep me fucking sane…." he took a deep breath trying to catch himself, the damn words kept coming…"After everyone left and everything changed, you were the only person that was around that understood the things we'd seen and the shit we'd done… No one in that fortress knew… You locked yourself in your room for two years and I was acting like you; working nonstop like a fucking psycho, but if it wasn't for me having to see you all of the times because looking after you was my job, I might have lost my shit. You're so damn upbeat and enduring and I know I was an ass those two years and called you annoying then, but I liked your company, I might have thought you bothered me, but when you didn't come around it was more annoying…. You kept me sane, Hanji."

He wasn't sure how else to say it really. It was all true after all, it was the best way he could put the feelings into words without dropping the dreaded 'L' word. If it wasn't for her…. He honestly wasn't sure if he could have held onto his sanity….The last two years… Her weird ass had been keeping his weird ass sane when he felt directionless and she wasn't even trying. The long silence from her once he'd stopped talking was making him anxious… maybe he shouldn't have called her obnoxious and dirty? It was true but maybe his timing for that fact wasn't good? Shit...

Hanji wasn't sure what to say as she stared at where she assumed Levi was… She tried to put the words together, tried to line up the implications of them in a way that made sense coming from him, but they didn't. Was he saying he valued her a friend? Because something about the tone of his voice wasn't saying that… It was too gentle, too borderline desperate, and it left Zoe Hanji, for the first time in a long time momentarily speechless as she desperately tried to not get her hopes up.

"Do you possibly mean that you lov-"

"Yeah." His reply came quickly and Hanji wasn't sure what to say. They both knew where she was going with her question and they both were surprised by how quickly he answered.

There was a long pause in the dark and Levi was sure he was about to get rejected, steeled himself to hear the words even-

And then he felt warmth… Something warm and thin was poking the side of his neck, "Is that your face? It's too dark, mind helping me out?" her awkward laugh filed the space of the tent as he reached for where her hand was and led it to his cheek. He thought briefly that she might be trying to find his face so that she could slap him for wanting to be more than friends, but once her hands gently stroked his face, he knew that he was wrong… And that things were so right when something soft and warm pressed against his dry lips.

She kissed him shakily, her lips touched his so lightly he wasn't sure if they had for a moment and then she pulled away leaving only her hand to rest on his shoulder, though he could still feel the warmth of her breath on his face in the dark.

"Too forward?" She breathed, her nervousness coming through in her voice. Sure she'd kissed people before, but never for anything long term or romantic… Never with anyone that was half as important to her as Levi was, she was anxious about this, she didn't want to mess up and push him away, so she couldn't find words to describe her relief when she felt his hand find hers in the dark and wander up to her shoulder and eventually landing on her face… His fingertips traced her lips...

"Not forward enough." that was the only cue she needed from him before she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him pull her on top of him. Their lips met slowly and awkwardly at first, but they soon became aquatinted all over again with the feel of each others skin.

It had been such a long time for both of them since they'd been with each other all those years ago on that one chanced drunken night they'd done it and it wasn't out of affection… Not at all like now. Now the eagerness to show just how much they actually_ did_ care for each other was showing in every kiss and in every touch and by the time the rain had stopped and morning light shone through the small opening in their tent, there was no doubt between them how much they cared about each other, after all they spent most of that night mumbling it into each others skin.

* * *

The next day when they arrived at the village, more than what they saw out there, more than how their adventures were, everyone seemed way more interested in the fact that when they arrived, the two had been holding hands.

Everyone had gathered in Erwin's house that night eager to see how Hanji and Levi were, what they saw and most of all how they ended up coming back as more than just 'best of friends' as Hanji had repeatedly insisted they were before they left.

"I knew it was going to happen! I knew it!" Eren smirked nudging Armin while Mikasa gave him a vaguely dubious glance.

"Well it took you two long enough! Darn young people these days… Can fight a titan but can't face their own feelings…" Ben smirked.

"So how'd he make his move? He pick you flowers or something?" Jean was asking Hanji with a shit eating grin, but the glare that Levi gave him made him swallow the question right away.

"I always knew that gremlin liked her." Penny sighed from where she sat next to Erwin, "Ah well, I guess it's fine, things worked out for me too, so I can't complain." She smiled as she reached out and laced her fingers with Erwin's and he turned gave her that warm look that she'd grown to adore over the last few weeks; the look that made her feel like she was the only person in the world. Penny at this point was more than okay that Hanji didn;t like her, Erwin was definitely a way better partner than she ever expected she'd have in her life, and she was sure just by how he looked at her that he felt the same… Penny could only wonder if Hanji felt that same warm feeling when Levi looked at her.

"Ahh, Hanji, I can only imagine he treats you like a queen, right? I mean he hadn't taken his eyes off of you since you two got here!" Penny teased. Every eye in the room turned to Levi and he felt his face get hot… Because Penny was right, he really had been staring at Hanji the whole time, because something was bothering him. Hanji's matted hair and dirty bug bitten skin from their travels only reminded him how dirty he felt and how he didn't feel like sitting here having his love life analyzed by a bunch of kids, his old boss an old man and an imp. Hanji stared at him quizzically, and he wondered how the hell she managed to look so comfortable covered in all that dirt.

"Aww, look at the little guy, still can't take his eyes off of her, how cute~!" Penny teased again and Hanji could practically feel his bad mood radiating off of him.

"Fuck this." Levi suddenly grumbled getting to his feet and taking Hanji in tow, "You can gossip without us."

"Ahh, he's just grumpy because he didn't have a bath in a while, we'll be down later." Hanji smiled.

"No we won't." Levi called as they headed up the stairs. Hanji more or less figured out what he was implying and smirked to herself.

"Ah, then see you all tomorrow!" Hanji waved as they went up the steps as everyone 'oooed' after them, but no one bothered to stop them, they all stayed below and talked among themselves.

* * *

"Hahhh, Levi, I'm starting to get why you like baths so much." Hanji sighed leaning back into him in the tub while he scrubbed her hair.

"Then take them more often." he commented, a look of disgust passing over his face as he pulled some dead bug out of her hair and flicked it into the trash can next to the tub.

"Nah, it's a pain. Now that we're back I'll have to get started on analyzing the data we gathered as well as the samples we collected, I'll also work on putting together a more complete map so the others can explore safely." Hanji smirked to herself, her eyes closing. she really did like when he washed her hair and the hot water was really taking out all the knots in her back from sleeping in those little tents the last few weeks.

"Oi, Four Eyes, working is fine, but you have to take care of yourself too." he scowled, gently rinsing her hair before leaning back against the tub, "Besides, if you don't bathe, you better not even think about crawling your stinky body in my bed." he warned. She went quiet a moment, considering this new information.

"Okay a bath once a week then?"

"Everyday."

"Every four days?"

"Everyday."

"Every other day is my final offer or we can both just sleep alone." there was a finality in her voice that he couldn't think to argue with.

"… Fine, every other day." he sighed, closing his eyes as he let the water relax his muscles.

"Good!" he heard her say and he felt something feather light against his lips. Hanji watched with a pleased smile as his clumped eyelashes parted and his grey eyes met hers. It was a warm look he gave her… One that now that she really thought about it, he'd been giving her for quite sometime now. A few times before the ball he looked at her like that, but only for a few moments here and there or when they were a little drunk, but since the ball he'd been looking at her like that almost nonstop… A smile spread over her face as he leaned forward and placed a light kiss against her lips in return.

"I take it back." he mumbled against her lips, "You'll have to take a bath everyday."

"Hey, you're not allowed to change up our deal like that!" She protested leaning back and staring at him mildly irritated, "Besides, how dirty do you think I can even get in three days?"

"Pretty dirty." he pressed his lips against her collarbone as he spoke and she laughed as she caught his drift, "You can clean up with me." his damp lips moved along her collarbone and Hanji felt her face get hot and not from the water they were soaking in.

"Well then I guess I'll have to reconsider, won't I?" she smirked.

Yeah, she was more than sure that things between them, whether he was her best friend or her lover, would be just fine. His hand wandered down her waist, his teeth nipped at the side of her neck and she stifled a moan that threatened to escape her.

_'Just fine indeed.'_

**Whoo, kinda a long chapter, but I thought a nice long chapter would be best for the last real chapter in the story. I hope you guys liked the way I chose to take it and next is the epilogue then I'm getting back to working on Popsicles.**


	24. Three Years later

**I don't own SNK**

Years passed as Levi and Hanji made more and more trips out to the forrest and exploring the outside world and it honestly never ceased to amaze them. They discovered new places, waterfalls and hot springs that Levi discovered he enjoyed immensely and caves and caverns that Hanji found breathtakingly fascinating. With every trip they went on over the years, they always returned with more new information that always ended up being piled up in Hanji's room, to the point where it was fully transformed into a lab and she moved full time into Levi's room when they were at the village, but new data wasn't the only thing they were collecting, questions from the others were slowly piling up too.

"So when do you two plan on settling down?" Ben asked one of the few lazy mornings where everyone was gathered around the table and their old friends from the village had stopped by to visit.

"What do you mean?" Hanji hummed sipping on some of the tea made with leaves that she and Levi had discovered awhile back. She felt his hand gently stroking hers under the table.

"Well, you've been dating for what? Three years now?" Ben asked, eyes wide, "I thought by now you might be thinking about settling down, maybe starting a family?" Levi and Hanji both let out a laugh at the suggestion.

"Hey old man, you just focus on that lady you've been sneaking out to see. It's been a year already huh? You wanna see another marriage so bad, why don't you just get married yourself? I'm sure the pony won't mind."

"H-hey! No need to speak so loudly." Ben cut his eyes over to Jean who was sitting in the other room chatting _at_ Mikasa more than _with_ her.

"Why? You nervous cuz that brat doesn't know that you're seeing his mom? I doubt he'll care. Horses need direction too, I doubt that getting direction from a new man in the house would hurt the brat." Levi offered sipping his tea as Ben stared at him in shock as he tried to figure out just what any of what Levi just said meant.

"What Levi means is that Jean hasn't exactly had an easy life, he joined young hoping to look out for his mother but the stability of a normal family with a mom and dad in the house might be good for him. He's a little reckless, but you'd be a good influence on him." Hanji smiled gently and Levi nodded next to her.

"Something like that." Levi mumbled.

Ben turned with an exasperated look to face Penny and Erwin who were sitting next to him.

"They were always like that. I was convinced for awhile that they were dating when we worked together." Erwin chuckled, his fingers playing with the delicate ring that he'd made to fit perfectly on Penny's thin ring finger.

"Who asked you?" Levi grunted, squeezing Hanji's free hand, impressed as always with how well she understood him. He saw Hanji smile to herself at the gesture and he contentedly sipped at his tea again.

"Oh come on Levi, you always try and deflect the topic when we ask you, I'm not letting you do that today, do you plan on settling down with Miss Hanji or not?" Penny huffed, frustratedly.

"Well family life doesn't actually suit either of us, and we wouldn't be able to go on our expeditions any more if we did that." Hanji explained in Levi's place, "It might sound a little odd, but we like things the way that they are and it's not like we plan on leaving each other whether we got married or not."

"Changing shit up now would be a pain." Levi added , "We might build a house of our own here though, since you and Erwin are always making noise down the hall. It's not like I can tell you to get a room in your own house." Levi frowned.

"Ah, but the way the world was before, we all spent a lot of time, alone or suffering. I'm sure it's only natural to want to cling to happiness when you can finally have it." Erwin smiled patiently, his statement ringing true for all of them:

Ben had a very difficult time getting over the loss of his family, and often blamed himself for it even after so much time had passed, but since moving out here and meeting a pleasant middle aged woman who offered him dinner one night, he was slowly finding it in himself to move forward and forgive himself little by little with this woman's help. Of course at the time he had no idea that the woman had a son whom he was also aquatinted with, as this woman didn't have the same horselike features of her son, but he was slowly becoming more and more confident that she was willing to introduce him as her boyfriend to Jean once she was sure of Ben's feelings, and Ben was becoming more sure of his feelings for her everyday, he wouldn't mind having Jean around anyway.

Penny, on the other hand, had a hard time of her own when her family died, she was left alone and had no one to share her life with until she met Erwin that was, Erwin was a great listener, kind and patient, strong and enduring, more than she ever cold have even hoped for when her family was gone. Erwin had struggles of his own of course and couldn't bear the thought of getting married when he wasn't sure if he would be able to even survive long enough to have a family the way he wanted to, but now he had Penny and though he found her a bit suspicious when they first met, he had to admit even right off the bat he had wanted to believe in her and found her headstrong yet oddly gentle nature alluring. Now the two planned to have a family together and were hoping to start one day soon, with the hopes to keep their house filled with friends and family and the laughter they thought they'd never be able to have in their lives only 5 short years ago when the titans were around.

Levi and Hanji weren't too different from Erwin if they really took the time to think about it, they also enjoyed waking up to the same face every morning without having to worry about that face suddenly disappearing, they both carried the burden of their own mistakes and missteps that caused the loss of their comrades lives, but if either of them woke up in the night upset over it, they comforted each other, they both knew how horrible those nightmares were and comforted each other when needed, in anyway it might have been needed. All in all the two complimented each other well despite their vast differences and anyone who ever knew them could tell their relationship was strong, to the point of being unshakable… Even when Hanji got pissed when Levi moved her stuff around to make it 'orderly' or when Levi got angry at Hanji for sweeping through his room like a tornado, the two still adored each other in their own way and everyone knew that the two were inseparable at this point. Whether they actually married or not, didn't matter, no one had any doubts that they'd stay together for the rest of their lives regardless.

All of them sitting at that table had been through a lot in order to get to the point where they were now, and in the long moment of silence that followed Erwin's statement all reflecting on their losses and gains that they've been through since the disappearance of the titans. It was a bittersweet kind of feeling in the room, the silence felt like it might go on forever too, if someone hadn't spoken up.

"Well that's enough reflecting on our pasts for one day!" Hanji clapped her hands together getting to her feet, "I feel like going for a walk, anyone care to join me?" she asked, making sure that she was loud enough so that her invitation could be heard even by the people in the living room.

"I was going to go upstairs and clean up our room a bit, it's in quite the state of disarray right now." Penny folded her arms trying to make a big show of looking frustrated, but Erwin knew what she was really getting at and he smirked.

"I should help you then." Erwin got to his feet trailing after Penny, "Enjoy your walk Hanji." he called over his shoulder as Penny and himself went hastily up the stairs.

"Oh, okay, what about you Ben?"

"Ah! Well actually, since Jean is here I might just go pay his mother a visit.." Ben smirked sliding from the table and jumped to his feet, the prospect of being with his lady friend making him feel a good twenty years younger, "Have fun walking, Hanji." he winked gently closing the door behind him.

"I guess I'll go alone then." Hanji shrugged,

"I'll go with you if you're going alone!" Moblit's voice came from the kitchen entrance and his excited face peeked out from around the corner.

"Really? Well then let's go!" Hanji smiled brightly waiting for her friend to walk over and join her, but Moblit wasn't coming and she turned to see him looking petrified, "What's wrong?" She asked innocently.

"W-well I just remembered I have to clean the specimen jars upstairs, y-you should probably go with someone else!" Moblit called looking over at Levi a moment before suddenly slipping back around the corner… Moblit had to admit, he deeply regretted telling Levi that he used to like Hanji, now he watched Moblit like a hawk when he was anywhere near her. He was like a walking, talking, unasked for restraining order… Moblit smiled to himself though, he always had a hunch that his Buntaichou would end up with the Heichou, he was glad she was happy at least… Even if Levi wouldn't listen to him when he insisted he had a girlfriend already.

"Well, he sure ran off fast, guess I'll just go walk alone." Hanji shrugged turning to head towards the door when something tugged at her arm, "Huh?" she spun around in time to see Levi holding her wrist firmly.

"Oi, you didn't think to ask me?"

"Well I figured you'd just come along if you wanted to come along." she blinked, utter innocence on her face, "You looked comfortable drinking your tea so I thought-"

"No, I'll go." he opened the door for her, "If I don't, you might try and fight another damn bear." she snorted a laugh as she spun out of the door.

"Oh come on, how many times did that happen? Like three? Can't we just move past it?" she asked, ut he fussed about it as they walked into the canopy of the woods behind the house where a path had now been carved out.

"Tch! How many times does a person have to get attacked by a bear before they realize they're being a dumb ass?" He asked still going on about her recklessness "You think I'm just going to keep saving you ass even time you go and poke a damn bear? You need to stop poking every lump of damned fur you find in the woo-"

Her lips met his and he went quiet for a moment as they paused further down the path, she pulled away and stared affectionately down at him and he went quiet, his argument forgotten… Hanji smiled to herself wondering if he'd realized that she always did that when he got frustrated with her… He seemed to lose his train of thought when she did it and she got the bonus of a kiss, it was win win for her.

"Shitty Four eyes..." Levi mumbled to himself, going a few steps ahead of her now, but she didn't miss that he was red up to his ears.

"Aww, come back here short ass! The view is nice, but I'd rather see your face." She teased hooking her arms around his. She peeked down at him.

"You think I don't notice that you do that?" he grumbled looking up at her sourly.

"Do what?" she asked with the innocence of a child as he rolled his eyes.

"Whenever we fight or argue you try and kiss me to get me to shut up, I'm not going to let you keep winning."

"Aww, when'd you figure it out." She pouted.

"Last year."

"Last year!?" Her eyes went wide behind her glasses, "Why'd you wait so long before you said anything?" she asked suddenly confused as she stared at his unfazed face, until it hit her, "Ahhh! I get it, you must really like my kisses to let me win so much, Short ass." he glared up at her in response.

"I'm not letting you win anymore."

"Aww, come on, don't be a bitter old man, I'm just playing with you."

"You're just trying to win every argument!" he grumbled up at her as they walked in the shade of the trees, "I'm not gonna deal with that anymore, I'll punish you if you do it again."

"HAH!" She snorted, "I've seen how you punish people and if you think you'll get away with hitting me you'll find out the hard way that's not going to happen." she unhooked her arm from his, offended that he even said that, but he merely rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I'd never hit you, idiot." he grumbled, "There are worst things I could do." he warned and she tensed looking down at the sneaky smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare mess with my lab!" she warned, well aware that he knew her weak spot, "If you try and mess with my lab I will dedicate my whole existence to making our place a mess." he rolled his eyes again and she realized she must have missed the mark once again… What else could he have threatened her with? She knew he wouldn't leave her because he'd told her at least a thousand times that unless she willingly wanted to leave him, he'd never let her go and she knew he meant it… So what could he-

"Four Eyes." he called, snapping her attention down to him and the moment she turned to face him, he moved quickly, pressing her up against a nearby tree. Caught off guard she was still for a moment, shocked by the action, but as the kiss deepened, she eased into it, unquestioningly wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands wandered over her torso, touching all of the places he knew all too well she liked. His fingertips found their way under the bottom of her shirt while his lips, gentle yet greedy, demanded her full attention. A sharp gasp of an inhalation came from her as his fingers brushed under her chest wrappings, she was beginning to see where this was going, she was about to warn him about doing it in the outdoors in the middle of the day where someone might pass wasn't a good idea, but as his free hand massaged his hipbones and wandered lower, towards the button of her pants she figured anyone who passed would know to look the other way. It was rare to see him so fired up, he was usually so gentle with her, but she was liking this. She urged him to keep going, pressing herself forward to be flush against him as his hand scathingly slowly wandered towards the button of her pants and she waited impatiently for him to do so, her head floating high on ideas of a good time that was to come, but then he just stopped. He literally stopped, pulled his lips away and started to keep walking down the path they were walking down.

"What?" Hanji asked breathlessly, pushing off of the tree, clothes and hair both disheveled as she moved to catch up to him, "Where do you think you're going after getting me all worked up?" she demanded catching up to him.

"I never planned to do shit. If you wanna try and win shitty arguments by kissing me, this is how you'll be punished." her jaw dropped…

"Oh come on!" she grabbed his hand, "Let's go back huh?" she smiled sweetly, if not desperately, "We can go back and finish up what you started."

"No."

"Leeeeviiiii." she pouted stomping here feet like a little kid.

"No."

"Please?" she flashed her big brown eyes at him from behind her glasses that shone warmly from the light that crept in from between the gaps in the leaves.

"…." He couldn't find it in his to say no, "Fine, after our walk." he sighed and she let out a little grin.

He rolled his eyes at that shit eating grin of hers knowing that so long as he was alive he'd do all he could to make sure he could keep seeing it every day… He might not have told her that out loud, but he was sure she knew it, he could see it in her eyes when she looked at him with more love than he'd ever received in his life… She wasn't his, he never wanted to make her his, he never wanted to crush her free spirit, he was contented by just having her by his side and she was thrilled to have him by hers. It wasn't like Hanji ever expected to meet a man who could handle her mind and boundless energy, especially not in such a small and grumpy looking package, but he was more than she could have asked for and as they continued their walk, hand in hand both of them were sure that there was no one else they'd rather be with.

"Hey Shitty Glasses." he squeezed her hand a little tighter as the feeling of being grossly happy washed over him.

"Hmm?" she called squeezing his hand back lightly.

"I uh… You know." He stammered, still too shy to say the words.

"Yeah yeah, I know." Hanji smiled knowing her lover all too well by now to be offended by how little he said those three words… He showed it all of the times anyway in the way he'd hold her hand or stroke her face, in the way he looked at her like he was doing right now. She showed it too, but she knew he liked to hear it as much as she liked to say it; "I love you too."

**And that's it folks. Hope I wrapped it up neatly _**


End file.
